Desperate Measures
by DragonFlame91
Summary: At age eight, Aria Collins watches her mother get murdered in front of her. With her father in Azkaban, she goes on the run to escape the men who claim she belongs to the Dark Lord. For years, she poses as a boy and survives on her own, trusting no one but herself. When her situation worsens, she goes to Hogwarts under the alias of Aaron Shaw. How long can Aria keep up this act?
1. A Bad Birthday

Desperate times calls for desperate measures. This was the principle followed by Aria Collins and her mother. Ever since Aria was born, they had been in hiding. They would move so often that Aria barely had time to make friends or get used to her surroundings. Her mother did not want to risk being found by what she called "the bad men". She never told Aria who these men were, only that they wanted to take Aria from her. Her mother would teach Aria at home instead of letting her go to school like other children her age. It was not out of worry that she could not make friends. Aria was a very outgoing girl who always had a bright outlook on life. Her mother kept her in the house due to Aria being a witch.

Both Aria and her parents could do magic. They were nothing like what muggles, the term for non-magical people, portrayed in movies or television shows. Real witches and wizards did not have green skin or gnarled hands though they could fly on broomsticks and brew potions in cauldrons. They were capable of performing all kinds of spells and charms. All young wizards and witches had difficulty in controlling their magic. When they reached a certain age, they were sent to wizarding schools to get proper training. Her mother was unwilling to risk Aria accidentally setting a muggle school on fire. Though she showed an eagerness to practice magic, her mother refused, telling her that she needed to be a bit older. Late at night, Aria would secretly take her mother's wand and attempt spells that she read in some of her old school books.

Aria and her mother were currently living in a small house in London. They had moved there a month ago after one of the bad men discovered their flat in Bristol. Aria was sitting in the kitchen, watching her mother bake cupcakes for her eighth birthday. As one of her presents, her mother let her get her own wand at Ollivander's. It was 10 inches and made of oak with a phoenix tail feather. Her mother promised to start giving magic lessons. Aria helped with mixing the batter. Her mother grabbed the wooden spoon.

"Not so fast, Aria. You'll get it all over the counter"

"Sorry, mommy"

A barn owl flew through an open window, landing on the counter. There was a letter tied to its leg, along with a small pouch. Her mother took the letter and put five bronze knuts into the pouch. The owl left through the window.

"It's from your father"

Aria opened the letter, excitedly. Every birthday, her father would write to her. Aria did not know much about him. He had been sent to Azkaban prison a week after she was born. Her father used to work for the British Ministry of Magic as one of the Minister's advisers. He and her mother were also part of a special organization called the Order. They helped fight in a war against a dark wizard. Her mother once told her that the bad men worked for him. The dark wizard had disappeared a few months after Aria's first birthday but his followers were still being captured by the Ministry. Her father got framed for the murder of a Ministry official. The dark wizard had planted evidence against him and he was thrown into Azkaban for life.

After his arrest, her grandparents on her father's side cut off all contact to Aria's mother. They never approved of her because she did not come from a wealthy pureblood family. Her mother's parents had been murdered during a war with a different dark wizard. Because he was so in love with her, her father had broken his arranged marriage to another woman. While Aria found it romantic, her grandparents were furious. They refused to even meet Aria, seeing her as a reminder of her father's betrayal.

With her father's arrest, they struggled to make ends meet. Though she had a job as a healer, her mother had to leave it to protect Aria. Their only income came from Aria's aunt. She could not give much since her grandparents threatened to get her fired from her high position in the law department at the Ministry. Her mother did not mind, telling Aria that money did not matter as long as they had each other.

Aria looked at the letter from her father. When she read his letters, she liked to imagine what he would be like if they met. Though she was a spitting image of her mother, she had her father's smarts and fearless spirit. Her mother remarked that he could face ten full-grown giants and act like he was fighting small kittens. Another thing that Aria inherited from her father was a certain magical ability. He was able to create portals out of any objects to travel to different magical lands. The portals could even go back in time, quicker than any time turner. It was a very rare skill that few wizards possessed. His stories about his adventures to these lands are what first drew her mother to him. Aria could create these portals herself but only for a few seconds. On her third birthday, her father sent a necklace with his letter. It had a pendant with a symbol of three intertwining circles. The necklace belonged to him and he explained that it would help her with creating portals.

Her mother flicked her wand to make the time on the oven go faster. She turned to Aria.

"Did your father wish you a happy birthday, sweetheart?"

Aria nodded. "Why is he still in prison? He didn't hurt anyone"

"I know that. It was a very stressful time and he could not prove his innocence. Someone controlled him with a spell to place him at the scene of the crime"

"Why did that man hate him?"

"It's a very long story, Aria. The important thing is that he cannot hurt us…and I am sure that soon enough, your father will be released from Azkaban. Aunt Elyse is working on his case and going to Fudge every day. Don't fret about it. You should be happy on your birthday"

"I just want him here"

"So do I. I miss him very much"

Once the cupcakes were done, Aria decorated them with frosting. Her mother took one with blue frosting from the pan. She put a candle in the shape of a star on top of it. Closing her eyes, Aria silently wished that her father could be with them. She blew out the candle. Her mother smiled. Suddenly, the kitchen shook wildly. Aria gripped the counter.

"Is that an earthquake?"

"Aria, go to your room. Pack your things and put on your shoes"

"Why?"

"Do as I say. Wait for me there and do not let anyone in unless it's me"

Her mother hurried her out of the kitchen. Aria went upstairs to her room. She put her belongings in a small plaid backpack. The backpack had been charmed by her mother to fit anything, no matter the size. As she tied her sneakers, she heard a knock on the door. She got off of her bed.

"Mom?"

"Yes, sweetheart, it's me"

Aria opened the door. Instead of her mother, she saw a man in long black robes and a strange mask. The mask had slits for the eyes and mouth. Aria stepped back, holding onto her backpack. He entered her room.

"You'll be coming with me, little girl"

She chucked the backpack at him, knocking him into the wall. The man fell unconscious. She ran downstairs. Her mother was surrounded by more men in the same robes and masks. A hand grabbed her hair roughly, tilting her head back. She looked up to see a tall man with cold grey eyes under the mask. He pointed his wand at her neck.

"This must be your daughter. What's her name, Clare?" he asked as though it was a casual conversation.

"Please let her go" she pleaded.

"Answer the question or I cut her pretty little face"

"Aria. Her name's Aria"

"Such a lovely name…and such power at her age. He will be pleased"

"He's dead. You're delusional"

The other men snarled at her mother. Aria struggled against the man's grip. His wand pressed into her skin. He told her mother that Aria was promised to some dark lord. Her mother argued that they never made that deal.

"Aaron promised her to him. She was meant to be his when she was born"

"No. He just wanted to snatch her for his own twisted schemes"

"It was foolish to run all these years. He will return to power and little Aria will be waiting for him"

"I won't let you take her!"

She could hear her mother fighting. Jets of light passed over her head. The man chuckled. He flicked his wand. Her mother let out an ear-shattering scream. He moved Aria's head down. Most of the intruders had been knocked out by spells. There were only two left, including the man holding Aria. Her mother was on the floor, panting and clutching her side.

"Mom!"

"Your mother must pay for her insubordination. You no longer have need for her. This is what happens when you defy the dark lord"

The other man pointed his wand at the back of her mother's head. Shouting a spell, he hit her with a jet of green light. Her mother crumpled to the floor, an empty expression on her face. Aria waited for her to get up but she did not move. Tears filled her eyes. She had nowhere else to go. Aria never met her Aunt Elyse. Her mother mentioned that her aunt already had five children and Aria doubted she would take in another one. Aria did not want to put her in danger. Those men would think to check her aunt's home if she ran away from them. Her grandparents would most likely give her over to the men without a second thought.

"A pity to spill pure blood but your mother deserved it. You will be where you belong soon"

Aria stamped hard on his foot and elbowed him in the stomach. He let go of her, groaning in pain. She ran out of her house, not bothering to look behind her. A jet of light struck a nearby tree, splitting it in two. She clutched the pendant of her necklace, twirling it. A small portal formed in the ground. Quickly, she jumped into it and landed in a dark alley. She was in the shopping district, only a few blocks from her home. Those men knew what she looked like and could easily spot her. She snuck into a children's clothing store. Going over to the boys' section, she picked out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. A woman was helping a young boy pick out jeans. Aria noticed a wand in her purse, which was resting on a chair. Taking the wand, she went into a dressing room. She was not foolish enough to use her own wand. The Ministry would find her immediately due to the Trace, a spell that monitored all underage magic.

After changing her clothes, she looked at herself in the mirror. She thought of spells from her mother's books. Pointing the wand at her golden blonde hair, she used a severing charm. After a few minutes, her hair, which used to be long and wavy with loose curls, was now short and disheveled. She ran her fingers through her hair to make it even messier. With another spell, she altered her facial features slightly, such as the shape of her nose and lips. The only parts of her to remain the same were her blue-green eyes and the freckles that sprinkled across her nose. She could barely recognize herself.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures"

Satisfied with her new appearance, she returned the wand to the woman's purse. She blended in with a family leaving the store to avoid paying for the clothes. As she walked down the street, she saw a park. Aria was unsure of where to go. She had no one to trust. From what her mother told her, those bad men were employees at the Ministry. If she went there, one of them could snatch her. She kept seeing her mother's death and that man's cold grey eyes in her head. As she worried about where to sleep, a ball rolled into her leg. She picked up the ball. Two boys ran over, glaring.

"That's mine" said one of the boys, rudely.

"Here. You must have dropped it"

He took the ball while the other boy shoved her to the ground. The boys sniggered.

"Look at him. He's a little midget"

"I'll teach you to mess with us"

"Oy!"

A teenage boy walked over to them. He reprimanded the two bullies. They went back to a group of children her age, who were waiting by a bus.

"Are you in the camp too? I don't recognize you"

"No"

"What are you doing out on your own? Where are your parents?"

"I was just walking around"

The boy looked at her, suspiciously. "Well sorry about those two. They need a good knock on the head"

Aria continued through the park. Her eyes widened seeing a poster with a picture of her. It claimed that she had run away from home and to call a number in Wiltshire. She ripped the poster and tore it into pieces. Leaving the park, she spotted the posters all throughout the town on store windows and light poles. It started to get dark. She stopped in front of a run-down apartment building. A sign in the window read 'Apartment for sale: Room 4B'. She entered the building. Finding the room, she opened the door. The apartment was very small with a tattered couch, a bathroom, and a kitchen area. She laid down on the couch. Opening her backpack, she took out her father's letter. There was a photo attached of him with her mother holding a baby Aria. She teared up, looking at her mother. Clutching the picture, she fell asleep in the abandoned apartment…


	2. Going to Hogwarts

-Five years later- Aria had been living on her own ever since the night she lost her mother. She would resort to stealing clothes, food, and any other necessities. When the apartment building she was staying in got purchased, she would find a new one or stay in empty motel rooms. She changed cities often to keep anyone from finding her. Even though they did not wear masks, she would get this bad feeling in the pit of her stomach around certain men. She knew that they had been one of the intruders. As she grew older, she needed to constantly alter her appearance to look more like a boy. It became much more difficult when she reached puberty. She used a voice-altering charm to lower her voice. At first, she struggled to act like a boy. She would watch other boys in the town and mimic their behavior.

A few weeks after she ran away, she found a copy of the _Daily Prophet_, a wizarding newspaper, in a trash bin. The front cover had an article about her mother. It claimed that she committed suicide after killing Aria. There were all these quotes from people who said they had noticed her mother in a depressed state. Aria was furious since no one had seen her mother in years and it was all lies. The article called her mother unstable and referred to her father's arrest as a factor for her depression. Her grandparents were even quoted in the article, pretending that they had been attempting to take Aria from her mother for her own safety. The aurors spent months searching for Aria and even though she wanted to come forward, she stayed hidden. They gave up their search around the time she turned nine. Being on the run had changed Aria's personality drastically. Aria was no longer a cheerful, bright-eyed little girl. She became very guarded and closed-off, not trusting anyone but herself. Her situation made her grow up more quickly than other children her age. She saw the world for what it truly was under its façade, a place filled with liars and bad people.

Though the _Daily Prophet_ reported Aria's death soon after the aurors abandoned their search, her father still sent her letters on her birthday from Azkaban. The owls were not fooled by her appearance and always managed to find her. Her father knew that her mother had been murdered and did not kill Aria. He told her that the men were called death eaters, followers of the dark wizard Lord Voldemort. They were the reason that Aria and her mother had been in hiding. Despite Voldemort being gone, his followers believed he would return and continued his work in secret. Some of his followers were in Azkaban with her father. He urged Aria to find her aunt Elyse for protection. On her 11th birthday, he sent a key with his letter. It was to a secret Gringotts vault for her. Shortly after his arrest, he got one of his old friends to set up the vault to be accessed when Aria turned seventeen. His parents did not know about the vault. Her father gave her the key early, knowing she was alone and in trouble. She never went into the vault, deciding to remain in the muggle world.

Aria had just entered a small convenience store, holding a skateboard. She was currently living in an old apartment building in Romford. The building only had a few occupants and the owner rarely showed up, making it a good hiding place. She placed various items, mainly food, into her backpack. There were birthday candles near the register. She walked over there, seeing a middle-aged man.

"Looking for something?"

"Actually, my family and I are a bit lost. We're not from around here"

Grabbing one of the tourist maps, she spread it onto the counter. She asked him how to get to a random town. The man looked irritated.

"Do I look like a tour guide, boy?"

"Just need some help, sir. My parents are hopeless when it comes to directions"

"Well you're going in the wrong one"

As the man spoke, she grabbed the candles. She pretended to be confused by the map. He moved his finger along the map to point out the correct route. She nodded and slipped candy bars into her coat pocket.

"Hey, mister! That kid's stealing!" she heard a woman say.

The man noticed one of the candy bars. "You little punk" he snarled.

Aria ran out of the convenience store. The man chased after her. She used her skateboard to go faster. After a few minutes, he stopped, panting heavily. He yelled that he would call the cops. Aria reached the apartment building. She entered her room on the fifth floor. Opening her backpack, she took out a box of cupcakes. She opened the box and put one of the cupcakes on the kitchen counter. Placing a candle in the shape of a star on top, she used a lighter to light it. Aria did this every year on her birthday, a tradition started by her mother. She made the same wish to have her father with her though she knew it was impossible. Closing her eyes, she blew out the candle.

"Happy birthday to me" she whispered.

She bit into the cupcake. An owl appeared outside the window. She untied the letter around its leg. It was from her father. She opened the letter, scanning its contents. Her father warned her to go to her aunt immediately. One of the prisoners, a former death eater, told him that his fellow followers were close to finding her location. Aria had thought of staying with her aunt many times. A year after running from her home, she found her in this enormous manor in Kensington, sitting outside while her children played with each other. Her grandparents stopped by the manor. It turned out that her aunt was on their side. She lied about attempting to help her father. Instead, Elyse was keeping him locked in Azkaban, destroying any evidence to prove his innocence. She only gave money to Aria and her mother so that she could report their whereabouts to her grandparents. Her father was not aware of this betrayal.

As she burned the letter on the stove, she heard a loud popping sound. She listened to footsteps go down the hallway and stop in front of her door. The lock clicked open. Grabbing her backpack, she climbed out the window. She hid on the fire escape. Two burly men entered the apartment. They had wands in their wands. One of the men picked up her half-eaten cupcake.

"Oh, was it your birthday, little Collins? Afraid we don't have a present for you"

"We know you're here. You can't hide from us"

Aria ran down the fire escape. She twirled her necklace, creating a portal. Jumping through it, she landed outside of a diner. The portal had taken her back to London. She was anxious about the death eaters finding her again. Entering the diner, she sat at a table and ordered an iced tea. She heard a group of women discussing Azkaban and the escape of a prisoner named Sirius Black. The waitress brought her drink. As she took a small sip, she eavesdropped on their conversation. They worried that he would go after a boy named Harry Potter.

"I'd like to see him try. He'd be foolish to attack the school with Dumbledore there. It's like my mother always said…there's no safer place than Hogwarts"

"Especially with Dumbledore in charge. No one would dare to challenge him. You Know Who himself was afraid of him"

Aria remembered hearing about Hogwarts from her mother. It was a wizarding school that children in Britain attended. Her parents met at Hogwarts and started dating as teenagers. If Voldemort was scared of the headmaster, his followers would not dare to cross him. Based on that conversation, Hogwarts sounded like a perfect place to hide. It would also be a chance to learn magic. The women were leaving to go to the Ministry. She got up at the same time, purposely knocking into one of them.

"I'm really sorry, ma'am"

"Not to worry, dear. I'm all right"

"No, it's my fault. Here, I'll pay for your meal as an apology for bumping into you"

Aria put money down on their table. The women smiled.

"Aren't you sweet? What are you doing by yourself, dear? It's not safe on your own. There's an escaped convict on the loose"

"We just moved back to London. My parents wanted me to go to the Ministry to register for Hogwarts while they unpacked. I got a little lost"

"We're headed there. You can come with us"

She followed the women into the back alley of the restaurant. One of the women grabbed her arm. A second later, she landed inside of a massive building. There were fireplaces lined up along the walls. Every few minutes, people would emerge from a fireplace. Others apparated into the building. In the middle of the room was a fountain with statues of a wizard, witch, house-elf, centaur, and goblin. The women explained that she would register at the Department of Magical Education on the second floor. She was supposed to speak to a Gabriel Porter. Aria thanked them for their help and went into one of the lifts. She pressed a button for the second floor. Before the doors closed, tiny notes, folded up like paper airplanes, flew into the lift. The doors opened at each floor and a bored female voice announced the various departments through a speaker. After five stops, the lift reached the second floor. She followed the signs to the Department of Magical Education.

One of the doors had _Gabriel Porter, Head of Department of Magical Education _written in bright golden letters. She opened the door, revealing an office with a bookshelf and multiple filing cabinets. A young man in his 20s was sitting at a polished wooden desk. Her eyes widened, seeing her aunt Elyse in front of him. She was a statuesque woman in her early 40s with pin-straight ebony hair and dark brown eyes. When Aria first saw her aunt, she found her to be very prim and uptight. She did not appear to be the least bit affectionate. Aria messed with her hair to keep it in her eyes.

"Mrs. Montague, I will continue to contact Dumbledore. He has a lot on his hands with Black's escape and placing proper security charms on the castle"

"It's no excuse, Porter. Have those documents on my desk by tomorrow morning or you'll find yourself helping Weasley with his pointless muggle work"

Her aunt turned to head for the door. She scrunched her nose at Aria.

"Take off that foolish hat when you are here. Did your parents not teach you manners?"

"Sorry" she replied, taking off her slouched beanie.

Aria stared at the floor. Her aunt looked her over, shrewdly. With a small sneer, she left the office. Aria went over to the desk. Porter chuckled.

"Don't be scared of her. She's like that with everyone. We call her the Ice Queen. Can I help you?"

"My family just moved here. I need to register for Hogwarts"

"Oh, a transfer? That's not very common"

Waving his wand, he conjured a piece of paper. It was an application for new students at Hogwarts. Porter needed it for official student records. Aria had to think up a new identity. If she gave her real name, it would cause all kinds of problems.

"Name?"

"Aaron…Shaw" she said, combining her father's name with the name on a jar, containing quills, on the desk.

"Age?"

"Thirteen"

"Blood status?"

"Pureblood"

Porter asked a million questions. When he questioned her about her previous school, she lied about being taught at home. It felt like it had been hours before they finished. She needed to choose electives. There were five possible courses: muggle studies, divinations, arithmancy, ancient runes, and care of magical creatures. The list gave a description for each course. She decided on the creatures class, divinations, and ancient runes. Living in the muggle world, she knew enough about muggles and arithmancy sounded like too much thinking. He checked over the paper.

"A letter will be sent to your home with a supply list. You can get your supplies in Diagon Alley. I'd suggest going through the Leaky Cauldron, a pub near here. I will need an address so the owl knows where to go"

"We just moved this morning. It's a little hectic with all of the unpacking. Could I just get it now?"

"That would be fine"

Porter conjured a letter for her. It contained instructions on how to get to Hogwarts and a supply list. He told her that she would be sorted on the first night at the school and Dumbledore would assign her a tutor to ensure she was on the same level as her classmates. Aria left the office, heading back to the lift. As she turned the corner, she knocked into someone, causing her to fall to the floor. Rubbing her head, she looked up to see a strawberry blonde girl her age. She was very petite with an upturned nose, having a preppy style. Aria wondered how she did not trip while walking in her high-heeled boots. She helped the girl up and apologized for bumping into her. The girl smiled.

"Do you go to Hogwarts?"

"I uh just transferred"

"I'm Daphne Greengrass. I'm going into third year"

"Same. I'm…Aaron Shaw"

"Am I the first Hogwarts person you've met?"

Aria nodded. "You can sit with me and my friends on the train. They'll definitely like you"

"Thanks. I should get going. It was nice to meet you"

Daphne grabbed her arm. Taking out a pen from her purse, she wrote on Aria's hand. Aria glanced down. She had written _10 Gable Drive, Wiltshire, England, bedroom on the second floor_.

"What is this?"

"My address so you can write to me, cutie" she said, tapping Aria's nose.

Aria's eyes widened slightly. Daphne was flirting with her. She forgot that she looked like a guy. This situation could not get more awkward. She let out a nervous chuckle. Going into the lift, she returned to the entrance floor. Her mind was racing with a million thoughts. How would she handle girls at Hogwarts? Aria did not think that through when she signed up to attend the school. She hoped that not all of them acted like Daphne. Going over to the fireplace, she grabbed powder from a small pot and stepped into the green flames.

"Leaky Cauldron" she said, throwing the powder.

She landed in a different fireplace in a pub. It looked very dirty and disheveled. She went over to the counter. A man with balding grey hair was cleaning mugs with a rag. He smiled at her, revealing a few missing teeth.

"Hello there, lad. Want a drink?"

"I need a room"

"We've got plenty. How long do you need it?"

"Until Hogwarts starts"

"Three days, then. You can pay at the end of your stay"

He handed her a key. It had the number 12 etched on the handle.

"Is there an owl I can use?"

"Yes, go up the stairs and at the end of the hall is a little owlery"

She walked up the rickety staircase. Finding the owlery, she saw multiple owls. A screech owl flew over to her. Aria grabbed a piece of parchment and wrote a message to her father. She told him that the truth about her aunt, including how she was purposely keeping him in Azkaban, and that she was going to Hogwarts. The owl held out its leg. She tied the letter around it.

"Listen to me. This is going to Azkaban but don't go the usual route. Wait outside the window for Aaron Collins's cell. When he writes back, come to Room 12 here"

The owl gave a soft hoot and left the owlery. Aria went to her room and used the key to open the door. The room consisted of a queen-sized bed, oak furniture, a small fireplace, a nightstand, and a mirror. Unable to fall asleep, she sat near the window, waiting for her father's reply…


	3. Diagon Alley

-Two days later- Aria was sitting in her room at the Leaky Cauldron. She had not left since she arrived in the pub, waiting for her father's reply. The screech owl finally returned early this morning. Her father regretted thinking that her aunt had changed. Being in Azkaban for all these years affected his judgment. He wanted to believe that she was caring for him like a true sister but it was just her usual deceptions. Aria felt terrible, seeing that her aunt's lies broke his heart. He had been relying on her to help him reunite with his family. She knew it was necessary so that he would not make the mistake of trusting her anymore. Her father agreed that Hogwarts would be a safe place. He promised to write to her more often by bribing the guards at Azkaban.

After getting dressed and combing her hair, she left the pub. The bartender told her how to get to Diagon Alley. She opened a back door, seeing a brick wall. Taking out her wand, she tapped one of the bricks above a trash bin. The wall formed a large archway. It revealed a series of shops on either side of a cobblestone street. There was a large crowd of people, many wearing wizarding robes. She headed for Gringotts bank. Goblins were sitting on high stools behind counters, examining coins and gems. Aria walked over to a goblin at the counter at the end of the corridor. She got his attention.

"I want to get into a vault. I have the key"

He called over another goblin named Gornuk to take her to her vault. Gornuk led her through a side door. As he let out a low whistle, a cart appeared. Both climbed onto it. He examined her key. The cart moved quickly through a narrow passage. Aria had to hold onto the side to prevent herself from falling out as the cart made sharp turns. After passing over an underground lake, the cart stopped in front of a steel vault.

"Vault 828. Follow me, please"

She stepped out of the cart. Gornuk used the key to open her vault. Looking inside, her eyes widened. It was filled with piles of galleons, sickles, and knuts that almost reached the ceiling. She could not believe that her father left her all this money. As she piled coins into a compartment of her backpack, she found it difficult to not take it all at once. She was used to barely having a few pound notes and needing to steal most things. They returned to the main floor. She thanked him for his help and left the bank. For the next hour, she got some of her supplies, including a uniform, dragon hide gloves, and potions ingredients. She went into Flourish and Blotts, a bookstore. One of the employees walked over to her.

"Hello there. Need books for Hogwarts?"

She nodded and handed him her list. He glanced over it.

"You must be a transfer if you need some of these. I can help you out, lad"

"Wait, hold on"

A guy her age ran over to them. He had unkempt jet black hair, bright emerald green eyes hidden behind round glasses, and a slightly muscular frame. She noticed a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. The guy said that he needed books for third year as well, handing over his list. With a curt nod, the manager disappeared behind some shelves.

"I'm Harry, by the way"

Aria looked at the guy. He held out his hand. Reluctantly, she shook it.

"Aaron"

"I've never seen you at Hogwarts. You're in third year too?"

"I transferred a few days ago"

Harry was looking at her, curiously. She worried that he saw through her disguise.

"Did I do something?"

"No, I just…I'm sorry. You're the first person to not freak out when they meet me"

"Why would I freak out about it?"

"Well, I'm…Harry Potter"

Aria did not recognize his name. She wondered if he was a famous actor in the wizarding world. Harry seemed relieved that she treated him like a regular person. She refrained from asking what made him famous. He asked why she was transferring to Hogwarts. Aria lied that her family moved back to England to be closer to her ill grandfather. She mentally told herself to remember this cover story. Harry would not be the only one curious about her. The manager returned with a stack of books. He gave most of them to Aria. She placed the books in her backpack. He had them follow him to a cage. Inside the cage were books that snarled and fought with each other. The manager put on a pair of gloves and picked up a stick. He used the stick to beat back the books, which snapped at him aggressively. After a few minutes, he was able to grab one. He had a few tears in his sleeve. Aria took the book from him. She wrapped a belt around it to keep it from biting her.

"I already have one" said Harry.

"Thank goodness. I've been bitten far too many times"

They paid for their books and left the store. Harry offered to help her get the rest of her supplies.

"You really don't have to…I think I can"

"Diagon Alley's a big place. I remember my first time here. It's easy to get lost"

Aria rarely spent time around people, especially kids her own age. She had become accustomed to being alone. Harry seemed very friendly and harmless. She doubted that he was a dangerous person. He showed her around Diagon Alley, telling her more about himself. It turned out that Harry lost his parents as an infant and lived with his muggle relatives. They despised magic, not even telling him that he was a wizard until he got his Hogwarts letter. His uncle prohibited him from even mentioning magic in the house. Harry was glad that he could spend most of his time at Hogwarts, saying that it was like a real home. They stopped in front of a quidditch shop. She had heard about quidditch from her mother. It was the main sport of the wizarding world. A large crowd gathered around the window, staring at a sleek broom.

"Do you play quidditch, Aaron?"

"No. I'm not much of a broom person. What about you?"

"I play for the Gryffindor team. I've been seeker since first year"

"You must be really good"

"So what was your old school like?"

She was saved from answering when she heard someone shout Harry's name. A guy and girl ran over to them. The guy was tall with ginger hair and a very freckly face while the girl had bushy chocolate brown hair and slightly tanned skin. Aria could tell that they were friends. It felt awkward to be standing there while they greeted each other happily. The girl noticed her. She smiled.

"Hello. I'm Hermione Granger. This is Ron Weasley"

"Aaron Shaw"

"Oh, you're Aaron. Professor Dumbledore wrote to me about you. He said you were a new student and asked me to catch you up on the material"

"You look a little old to be a first year" said Ron.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He's in our year, Ron. Don't be silly. Do you need help finding anything, Aaron?"

"No. I think I can manage on my own. I wouldn't want to bother you"

"It's not a bother. We've already gotten all of our school things"

Before Aria could protest, Hermione grabbed her list. She dragged her down the street. As they got the rest of her supplies, Hermione told her all about Hogwarts. It was so much information that Aria thought her brain might explode. Hermione mentioned the four different houses and how students got sorted by a hat. She discussed the various classes and professors with her. After a while, Aria simply nodded, feigning interest. Hermione was very school-oriented. She was somehow going to take all five electives, along with the required classes. Ron appeared to be more laid-back like Harry. He talked about his family's vacation to Egypt, using money his father won in a Ministry lottery. Deep down, Aria appreciated their help. She was glad that she met friendly kids like them. Even when she lived with her mother, she never hung around other kids. It was difficult to make any friends since they moved so often.

They went into an ice cream parlor. Aria noticed Ron give a furtive glance to Harry. She could tell that they wanted to talk about something between the three of them. To give them privacy, Aria offered to buy the ice cream. She walked over to the counter and paid with a few galleons. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting at a table outside the parlor. She could hear some of their conversation. Hermione chastised Harry for blowing up his aunt after losing his temper. Ron was laughing about the incident.

"It's not funny, Ron. Harry could've been expelled"

"I thought I was going to be arrested, actually. Fudge let me off with a warning. Your dad doesn't know why, does he, Ron?"

He shrugged. "Probably because it's you. Famous Harry Potter and all that…if I blew up my aunt, my mom would have killed me and buried me in the backyard. You can ask my dad later"

Aria sat next to Hermione. They took their cups.

"How much was it, Aaron? We should pay you back"

"Don't worry about it. You helped me out today so I can at least pay for this"

"Thank you. That's a very interesting necklace"

Aria glanced down at her necklace. "It's just some family trinket. Nothing special"

"You haven't told us a lot about yourself, mate. What do your parents do?" asked Ron.

"My mom does potions trade stuff. My dad…doesn't really live with us"

Ron blushed. Hermione apologized, shooting a harsh look at him.

"He hasn't been around for years. I'm used to it by now. My mom's busy with settling in the house so she told me to just stay at the Leaky Cauldron until school starts tomorrow"

"I've been staying there too" said Harry, smiling.

"We're there for the night. My parents are off somewhere with my other siblings" said Ron.

Glancing over Aria's list, Hermione said she just needed to get a pet. She wanted to look for a pet as well since she had leftover birthday money. Ron needed to get medicine for his rat Scabbers, who looked close to dying. They walked over to the Magical Menagerie and Eeylops Owl Emporium. While Hermione and Ron entered the menagerie, Aria looked at the owls. She wanted to get one for better communication with her father. After a few minutes, she chose a small saw-whet owl that was sitting on a low perch by itself. The manager put him in a cage and handed Aria a bag of owl treats. Harry waited outside the shop.

"That's a tiny owl"

"I like the runts"

"Did you name him yet?"

The owl zoomed around the cage, animatedly. "Speedy works. I think it might be on some kind of drug"

Harry laughed. They went into the menagerie. Ron was speaking to a woman behind the counter. He showed her Scabbers. The rat's body was extremely thin and its fur had fallen off, leaving bald patches. She picked up Scabbers.

"Been through the mill, this one. What sort of powers has he got?"

"Uh…not sure. He used to be my older brother Percy's rat"

"Well if you'd like something a bit longer-lasting, you could trade him for one of these" she said, pointing at a cage of black rats, who played jump rope with their tails.

Ron scrunched his nose. He did not want to get rid of Scabbers. The woman offered him a tonic, taking out a red bottle. As Ron reached for it, something large and orange fell onto his head. It chased after Scabbers in a quick blur. The woman cried out in frustration.

"Crookshanks! No, stop it!"

Scabbers scurried out of the shop. Aria helped Harry and Ron find him. After ten minutes of searching, Ron got him from behind a trash bin. Scabbers was shaking in his hand. He put the rat in his coat pocket.

"What was that thing?"

"It looked like a cat" said Aria.

"More like a beast. It almost tore my head off…and look at Scabbers"

Hermione left the shop, holding the cat that had attacked Ron. Getting a better look at it, Aria noticed that it had a squashed face and did not look very pleasant. Hermione smiled.

"You bought that monster? It nearly killed me!" said Ron.

"He didn't mean to, Ron. The witch in the shop said that no one wanted him"

"I can't imagine why. How is Scabbers supposed to get any rest with that thing around?"

She glared. "Crookshanks will be in my dormitory. He won't hurt Scabbers. By the way, you forgot your tonic"

"They usually fight like this. You'll get used to it" whispered Harry.

They headed back to the Leaky Cauldron. Aria went up to her room and put her bags down by the bed. She placed the cage onto the nightstand. As she fed him a few owl treats, there was a knock on the door. She opened it, keeping her wand hidden up her sleeve. Harry was outside the door.

"Aaron, do you want to have dinner with me, Hermione, and the Weasleys? You'll really like them"

"It's okay. I'm just going to…I'm not that hungry"

"Come on, it's good to know some people before you get to Hogwarts. The Weasleys are the nicest people you'll ever meet"

Aria followed him downstairs. Ron and Hermione were at a table with four ginger-haired kids. He introduced Aria to his siblings. Percy, the oldest brother, looked a bit pompous. Fred and George were 15 year old prankster twins and Ginny was his only sister, a year younger than him. Ginny blushed, waving at Aria. Percy shook her hand, saying that he was Head Boy at Hogwarts and available if she needed any help. He sounded like a politician. The twins mimicked Percy behind his back. Aria had no idea how Ron's parents took care of so many children. A couple in their early 40s walked over to the table.

"Aaron, this is my mom and dad. Aaron's a new student at Hogwarts"

Mr. Weasley smiled. "Good to meet you, Aaron. You'll enjoy Hogwarts. Finest school there is…"

"I've heard that. It's nice to meet you too, sir"

His wife was looking at Aria, curiously. It made her slightly uncomfortable.

"Have we met before, dear? I'm sorry but you look like an old friend of mine"

"Mom, Aaron's not a girl" said Ron, eating a chocolate frog.

"Oh hush, Ron, I know that. Did your parents attend Hogwarts, Aaron?"

Aria shook her head. "No. My father went to a school in the states and my mother was homeschooled. I doubt you knew them"

She wondered if Mrs. Weasley knew her mother from Hogwarts. If she realized Aria's true identity, it could cause problems. A waitress brought over meals for them. It was Aria's first real dinner in years. Her stomach growled at the sight of the savory food. As she ate, she listened to the various conversations at the table. Ginny was asking her mother to get her a new dress. Mrs. Weasley sighed when Ginny pouted. She hugged her, promising to take her to the dress shop early tomorrow morning. Aria felt herself tearing up a bit. It made her miss her own mother. She quickly wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. After dinner, she returned to her room…


	4. Dementor Attack

-The next day- Aria woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. She heard Hermione say that the train would be leaving in half an hour. With a small yawn, Aria stumbled out of her bed. She retrieved clothes from her backpack and got dressed. After running a comb through her disheveled hair and packing up her school supplies, she left the room, holding Speedy's cage. She walked down the staircase. Mrs. Weasley was checking that her children had everything. She reprimanded Fred and George for attempting to bring joke products. Harry was at a table where there was still food. She sat at the table and laid her head down, sleepily. Beneath his smile, he looked a bit preoccupied.

"Tired?"

"I just need five more minutes"

Something slammed down on the table. It was a large leather-bound book about Arithmancy. Hermione sighed.

"Honestly, you're just like Ron and Harry. It's not as if you got up at the crack of dawn"

"Is she always like this?" whispered Aria.

Harry nodded. "You get used to it"

Hermione told Aria that she came up with a tutoring plan for the first few weeks at Hogwarts. She suggested that they could start on the train. Tutoring was the farthest thing from Aria's mind. Not wanting to make Hermione angry, she simply nodded. She tuned her out, hoping to get a few more minutes of sleep.

"Aaron, did you hear me?"

"Yea. That's…great"

"What did I say?"

"You said that we're going to start with the—you know…the thing that you said"

Harry stifled a laugh. Hermione put her hands on her hips.

"I asked what your lessons in Charms were like at your old school"

"It was like any other school. I never paid attention much"

"Classes are important. How do you expect to learn anything if you don't show any interest in the lessons?"

"You're right. I'll get right on that…at some point"

Ron and Percy were arguing over a picture of Percy's girlfriend. Percy claimed that Ron purposely spilt tea on the frame. Mr. Weasley got them to stop fighting. The bartender informed him that Ministry cars were waiting outside. She remembered Mr. Weasley mentioning that he worked in the Ministry for a department that dealt with misuse of muggle items. It did not sound very exciting. Based on the Weasleys' many second-hand things, she assumed the job was not one with a high salary. He offered to let Aria ride with them. She followed him out of the pub.

There were two old-fashioned cars parked by the sidewalk. She got into a car with Fred, George, and Ginny. Mrs. Weasley sat in the front with the driver. Speedy was flapping his wings, excitedly.

"What are you so excited about? You're not the one learning magic"

Ginny giggled. Aria put the cage down on the floor. Fred took out a package of ice mice. He gave some to Aria. As she bit into it, she asked why the Ministry let them borrow cars. He shrugged.

"Probably has to do with Harry…him being famous and all"

"Why is he famous? Is he an actor or something?"

The three Weasleys looked at her, surprised. Aria blushed lightly. She had been out of touch with the wizarding world for many years. It meant that she did not know certain things or people. Even when she lived with her mother, they stayed in muggle towns. Her mother never told her much about the wizarding community.

"Bloody hell, Aaron. You're pureblood. You don't know who Harry Potter is, mate?" asked George.

"No…"

During the ride to the train station, they told her the truth about Harry. He had lost his parents due to Voldemort. When he was just a year old, Voldemort attempted to kill him but the killing curse rebounded. Harry became known as the Boy who Lived. His fame had been due to the fact that Voldemort vanished after the attack on him. At Hogwarts, he, Hermione, and Ron took part in some risky adventures. During their first year, one of the professors had attempted to steal the sorcerer's stone but they stopped him.

Last year, when muggleborns were being petrified by a mysterious being, they discovered the Chamber of Secrets and Harry defeated the basilisk inside, saving the school. Ginny told her how she had been possessed by the diary of a Tom Riddle, who was the heir of Slytherin, the person behind the attacks and the only one capable of controlling the basilisk. The diary made her send the basilisks after students and almost killed her. Harry defeated the basilisk with the sword of Godric Gryffindor, saving her life. Hearing about these events made Aria question if Hogwarts was a safe place.

The car stopped at a train station and the drivers found trolleys for them. Aria only had her backpack and Speedy's cage.

"How did you fit everything in there, Aaron?" asked Ron, confused.

"It's an extension charm. My mom cast it when I was younger"

They stopped in front of a brick wall with signs on either side for platforms 9 and 10. Mr. Weasley explained that she had to run through the wall to get to the Hogwarts Express. He suggested that they go in pairs. Harry and Mr. Weasley leaned against the wall. In an instant, they vanished. Ron and Hermione followed them. Aria went over to the wall with Ginny. As a large group of tourists passed, they slipped through the wall. It led to another station with a scarlet train waiting on the tracks. Once the rest of the Weasleys entered the station, Percy went over to a girl his age with curly brunette hair, most likely his girlfriend Penelope.

Mr. Weasley and Harry were standing near a pillar, talking in whispers. As it got closer to eleven, they returned to the group. Mrs. Weasley hugged her children, Harry, and Hermione. Aria was caught off guard when she was brought into a hug. It felt oddly comforting.

"You'll enjoy your time at Hogwarts, Aaron. Don't let Fred and George rope you into any of their pranks. They're little troublemakers"

"I resent that slander, Mom" said Fred in a scandalized tone.

"Yea, we're far from little" said George.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head at them. Kids began to get onto the train. She gave sandwiches to Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny. Ron grimaced, stuffing the bag into his coat pocket. Aria got distracted by something latching onto her arm. Turning her head, she saw Daphne. She felt an internal dread in the pit of her stomach. Daphne pouted.

"Here you are, Aaron. Why didn't you write to me?"

"Oh, I um…"

"It's okay. It's much better to talk to me in person"

"Aaron, we're getting onto the train" said Hermione.

As she glared at Hermione, Daphne tightened her grip on Aria's arm. Aria winced slightly. For a petite girl, she had a strong grip like a crab's pincers.

"Why would he sit with you, Granger?"

"Dumbledore asked me to tutor him"

"Well Aaron's sitting with me. He's not going to be friends with a nerd like you"

Hermione's nostrils flared. Aria looked at Harry and Ron.

"What's happening?" she mouthed.

They shrugged. Daphne forced her onto the train. They moved along the corridor. After a few minutes, they stopped in front of a compartment. She slid the door open, revealing three other girls who all looked very different. The girl closest to the door had shoulder-length ebony hair and a face that resembled a pug. Next to her was a girl who looked like she could be a wrestler. She possessed a square build and jutting jaw, giving her an intimidating appearance. Across from them was a freckle-faced girl with auburn hair. Daphne introduced them as Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bullstrode, and Tracey Davis. She said they were in Slytherin like her.

"This is Aaron Shaw. He's new"

Daphne made Aria sit between her and Tracey. The compartment door opened again. There were four guys standing in the corridor. Two of them resembled gorillas. They looked as if they could barely tell their left from their right. The guy closest to her was dark-skinned with high cheekbones. Pansy's eyes lit up at the guy in the middle. His platinum blonde hair fell into his grey eyes. He was dressed up in a black button-down shirt with slacks. Aria thought that out of the four guys, he was the most handsome. He seemed very familiar to her. As she glanced over him, she realized that his eyes were similar to the man who forced her to watch her mother die in their home. He must be that man's son. Her nails dug into the seat as she struggled to keep her composure.

Pansy sat on the blonde's lap and kissed his cheek. Aria figured that they were dating. Daphne sat on Aria's lap to make room for the other guys. She smiled.

"Am I too heavy?"

"No, you're fine" she replied, trying to not feel awkward.

"Who are you?"

Aria turned to the blonde. She thought of beating him into a bloody mess and leaving him on the doorstep of his home. It would be perfect payback since his father ruined her life.

"Draco, don't be rude. This is Aaron Shaw. He just transferred. Aaron, these are other Slytherins in our year. That's Blaise Zabini next to Tracey"

Blaise gave a small nod. Daphne told her that the two gorillas were Crabbe and Goyle. Aria found it a bit strange to call them by their last names.

"And the rude blonde is Draco Malfoy"

Draco seemed to be sizing her up, looking over her appearance. Pansy lightly pushed his shoulder.

"Stop being silly. Tell us about yourself, Aaron. Where are you from?"

"I was uh born in Essex but we moved a few times for my mother's job. We just came back from Spain"

"Do you have a girlfriend?" asked Tracey, interested.

"Way to be subtle" muttered Blaise.

"No, I don't have one"

During the train ride, the girls kept asking her questions. Blaise appeared to be the friendliest of the guys but that did not mean much since Crabbe and Goyle kept stuffing their faces with snacks and Draco just continued to watch Aria like a lion about to pounce on its prey. She wished that she could be with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They were far better company. Around two, the guys left to visit other friends. An elderly woman passed their compartment with a trolley filled with candy.

"Do you uh want something?" she asked the girls, being polite.

"Aw, you're so sweet. I really like liquorice wands" said Daphne.

Aria bought a pack of liquorice wands. She gave it to Daphne. For herself, she got some cauldron cakes. The guys returned to the compartment. Draco looked a bit annoyed.

"Stupid Potter" he hissed.

"What did he do this time, Draco?" asked Pansy.

"He thinks he's so tough. If that new teacher wasn't in their compartment, I would've taught him a lesson about respect"

Aria doubted that Harry had done anything wrong. He was very kind and hardly the type to cause trouble. She could tell that Draco disliked Harry. If anyone started a fight, it was him. Despite his good looks, he had an unpleasant attitude.

"You're ten times the wizard that Potter is, Draco"

He smirked at Pansy's compliment. As they got closer to Hogwarts, the girls left to change into their uniforms in the bathrooms. Aria's eyes widened when Blaise took off his shirt. The guys were going to change in the compartment. She acted like it was completely normal though she freaked out on the inside. Unzipping her backpack, she took out the uniform. She focused on the wall as she changed, not wanting to see any of them without their clothes.

"What's your deal, Shaw?"

Aria looked at Draco. He was still shirtless, showing off his muscular build.

"Sorry?"

"Ignore Draco, mate. I think he's just jealous that the girls are looking at you like a shiny new toy" teased Blaise.

Draco scoffed. "Oh please. They'll be over him within a week. There's nothing special about him"

"Cause you're so amazing" she retorted, sarcastically.

He glared slightly. "Watch your mouth, Shaw. You don't want to be on my bad side"

"Oh, I'm shaking. I bet you can barely manage a levitation charm. You might be intimidating to the little kids but you don't scare me"

She put on her white button-down shirt. As she buttoned it, the reflection of the window showed Draco taking out his wand. He was about to cast a spell. In a split second, she deflected it to the window and easily disarmed him. She pinned him to the compartment door, pressing her wand into his neck.

"Only cowards hex someone behind their back. Be a real man and do it to my face"

He snarled. "Move your wand, Shaw"

"If you try that again, you'll regret it"

The rain outside became much heavier, crashing against the window. Suddenly, the train rattled and came to a screeching halt. The lights in the corridor flickered then turned off, causing the train to be pitch black. Ice formed across the window and the temperature dropped considerably. Kids went into a panic, asking what had happened to the train. The train was stuck in the middle of a bridge, nowhere near Hogwarts. A black blur passed by the window.

"What's going on? Why did we stop?" asked Blaise.

"Dementors. They guard Azkaban"

"What would they be doing here?"

Aria remembered the conversation between the women who brought her to the Ministry. They talked about that escaped prisoner Sirius Black. The dementors had to be searching for him. As it got colder, she was sure the dementors entered the train. She pushed Draco aside and opened the door.

"What are you doing, Shaw?"

"I'm going to find the girls. They might be freaked out…dementors aren't exactly cuddly puppies"

Aria left the compartment. She walked towards the bathrooms. The guys followed her. She knocked on the door to the girls' bathroom. It opened slightly, showing Tracey. She looked relieved.

"Aaron, it's you. What happened to the train? We were doing our makeup and the lights went out"

"Everything's fine. Just come out here"

The girls left the bathroom. Pansy squeaked in fright. Turning around, Aria saw a tall cloaked figure floating above the floor. Its face was hidden but she could see its slimy, grey hands. Daphne clung to her arm, shaking. The guys ran into a nearby compartment. Aria rolled her eyes at their lack of bravery. She never saw a dementor in person, only reading about them in her mother's old school books. The dementor drew in a long breath. Behind her, the girls looked scared out of their minds. Pansy sniffled. The dementor was feeding off of their happiness. Aria pointed her wand at it.

"Go away"

The dementor glided closer. She waved her wand.

"Expecto Patronum"

A silver figure in the shape of a tiger emerged from her wand tip. It charged the dementor, causing it to leave through an open window. She told the tiger to find any other dementors and repel them. The tiger inclined its head, going down the corridor. At the other end of the train, she saw a dementor get knocked back from a compartment by a silvery wolf. As three other dementors left the train, the lights popped back on and the train began to move. Reaching into her pocket, she took out a spare cauldron cake and broke it into pieces. She gave them to the girls, assuring them it would make them feel better. They ate the chocolate. She bit into a small piece.

The tiger returned to her. Aria explained that it was a patronus, one of the only things able to repel dementors. Pansy still looked a bit upset. Aria rubbed her back, comfortingly. She knew that dementors could have very bad effects on people. One of the compartment doors slid open and Draco and his friends were shoved into the corridor.

"Get your hand off of her, Shaw"

"He's making sure I'm okay, Draco. It's not like you could do it while you were hiding. At least he kept us safe"

Fred and George poked their heads out from the compartment. They looked at Aria.

"Brave heroes, aren't they? Suppose they were going to scare the dementors by wetting themselves" teased George.

Aria suppressed a smile. Draco's fists clenched. A man in his early 30s with messy brown hair and a thin mustache walked over to them. Barely visible scars cut across his face. His robes were a bit shabby.

"Are you children all right?"

"Yes, sir" said Tracey.

He looked from the patronus to Aria. "Is this yours?"

Aria nodded. The man smiled.

"Very impressive. It's rare for someone your age to produce a full patronus. I've been giving chocolate to the other students in case they're feeling a bit shaken from the dementors"

"Aaron already gave us some"

"Good thinking. When you get sorted into a house, I'll give you 30 points. You should get back to your compartments. We'll be arriving at the school soon"

They walked down the corridor. Aria stayed behind, making her patronus vanish with a quick flick of her wand. The man was watching her, curiously.

"Forgive me but I feel like I've met you before, Aaron. What's your last name?"

"Shaw, sir. It's not that well-known. Are you a professor?"

"Yes, my name's Remus Lupin. The girls were lucky to have you there. Even most adult wizards wouldn't stand up to a dementor"

"I'm not scared of them. I've read about them in books. It was nice meeting you, professor"

Aria headed back to the compartment. The girls hugged her, calling her brave and fearless.

"You were amazing, Aaron. We were just telling the guys about how you beat the dementor"

"It was nothing, really. I'm glad you're okay"

"You're our hero" said Pansy.

Draco did not look pleased with their affections towards her. He continued to throw her nasty looks. As it got dark outside, the train stopped...


	5. Hogwarts

As it got dark outside, the train stopped. Aria left the compartment. Something jumped onto her shoes. Looking down, she saw a brown toad. She picked it up carefully. Daphne expressed disgust at the toad. She mentioned something called a long bottom and told Aria to toss it out an open window. Aria thought that it could be a student's pet. She placed the toad in the pocket of her robes and followed the other students off of the train. The girls brought her over to a series of carriages. There were strange black skeletal horses with white eyes and black, leathery wings tied to them. The horses had a gothic, eerie beauty. She pet one of them on the nose. It whinnied, making her smile.

"Aaron, what are you doing?" asked Tracey.

The Slytherins looked at her, strangely. "Petting the h"

She realized that they could not see the horses. None of these kids seemed to notice them.

"There was a bug near me. How are the carriages moving?"

"By magic, genius" retorted Draco.

Pansy smacked his chest. Aria hid her confusion. Everyone else assumed the carriages moved by an invisible force. She knew that she was not losing her mind. There was a horse directly in front of her. Blaise opened one of the carriage doors. They entered the carriage. She glanced out the window, watching the horse bring them towards an enormous, archaic castle. The moon shined on the castle, giving it a wondrous glow. It was surrounded by a murky lake. Tracey snapped her fingers in front of her face.

"So Aaron, what house do you think you'll get?"

"I haven't really thought about it"

"I bet you'll be a Slytherin. You said you were pureblood"

"I've never heard of that last name. You sure you're pureblood, Shaw?" asked Draco, suspiciously.

The girls glared at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were the authority on purebloods, Malfoy. Just because you haven't heard of my family, it doesn't mean we don't exist" said Aria.

"I don't think you're Slytherin material"

"Contrary to what your puny little mind tells you, I don't care what you think"

Draco sneered. After a few minutes, the carriage finally stopped just outside the castle. Aria stepped out of the carriage. Before she could enter the castle, Daphne got her attention, telling her that she would love Slytherin. Daphne was very talkative. She kept going on and on about Slytherin and how it was the best house. Aria did not understand how she could talk for so long without needing to take a breath.

"Shove off, Malfoy"

She saw Draco and his friends taunting Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Draco stood in their way, teasing Harry about something that happened on the train. Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle sniggered.

"Does he always bully them?"

"Draco and Potter have hated each other since 1st year. Potter thinks he's such a hero. Weasley is just a blood traitor who can barely afford a sock and Granger's an annoying bookworm" said Pansy.

Kids passed by the argument as if it was nothing. Aria walked over to them.

"Leave him alone"

"It's none of your business, Shaw. This is between me and Potter"

She stepped between them, arms crossed over her chest. "Well now it's between you and me. Leave him alone before I give you a free nose job"

Draco got in her face. There was a lot of tension between them. Hermione pleaded for Aria to not fight.

"Stay out of it, mudblood"

Aria punched him across the face. He fell into a gargoyle statue, holding his nose. Blood seeped through his fingers. She hated hearing that word. Mudblood was a derogatory term for witches and wizards from a non-magical family. Her mother always told her that only scum used such a word. Blaise looked at Aria like she had five heads. Draco stood up, angrily.

"If you ever call her that again, you're going to be sorry, Malfoy. Get out of my face before I rearrange yours permanently"

He entered the castle, his friends trailing close behind. Hermione looked like she wanted to lecture her. Harry and Ron were grinning from ear to ear. They burst into fits of laughter.

"Did you see Malfoy's face? That was priceless" said Ron.

"Ron! It's not funny" hissed Hermione.

"Potter! Granger!"

A woman wearing emerald green robes and square spectacles, with her hair in a tight bun, walked towards them. She reminded her of an older version of Hermione, seeming very strict and uptight.

"I want a word in my office"

Her eyes went to Aria. "You must be our new transfer student. My name is Professor McGonagall. I will be teaching you Transfiguration. You'll come with me as well, Mister Shaw. Run along, Weasley"

Aria followed McGonagall up the marble staircase. They entered a small office with a desk and crackling fireplace. On top of the desk was a tattered hat. While walking around Diagon Alley, Hermione explained the sorting ceremony to Aria. New students were sorted into one of the four houses based on the hat's decision. McGonagall told Harry and Hermione to wait outside. Harry assured Aria the sorting did not take long and that the hat took a person's opinion into account when making the decision.

As they left the office, Aria sat in a chair. McGonagall placed the hat on her head. Aria was surprised when she heard a deep voice whispering in her ear. The hat said that this conversation was between the two of them. It chuckled.

"Ah, a Collins. Yes, I see through your disguise, young one. You've got your father's smarts. Your secret is safe with me. You're just like him, you know…he was just as difficult to place. He also possessed both Slytherin and Gryffindor qualities. Fearless, courageous, willing to put others before yourself, enjoys a challenge…and yet cunning, ambitious, resourceful, and determined. You would do well in Gryffindor as your parents did"

Aria felt a sense of comfort at the thought of being like her parents. She would love being in Gryffindor, already having friends in Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys. Her fight with Draco flashed in her mind. She had this strong urge to get her revenge on his father through him. All she could think about was all the pain that his father and those other men caused her when she was a little girl.

"No. I want Slytherin"

"Are you sure about that? Ah, you want vengeance for your past"

"Put me in Slytherin. I want to be there"

"Very well…Slytherin!"

McGonagall removed the hat from her head. Aria's tie changed from plain black to green and silver and her robes had a green lining. A crest with a silver serpent appeared on the left side of her robes. McGonagall explained some basic rules to her, including the points system. Points were rewarded for good deeds, such as correctly answering questions, and deducted for rule-breaking. At the end of the year, the house with the most points received the House Cup. Each house had their own common room to hang around in between classes and after meals.

"You may join your peers in the Great Hall, Mister Shaw. You must sit with your house"

Aria left the office. Harry and Hermione were busy conversing in soft whispers. She decided to not interrupt them and went down the staircase. The Great Hall was a massive room with four long tables side by side. At the far end of the hall was another table of adults, who she assumed to be teachers. An elderly man with silver hair and a long silver beard sat in the middle of the table in a tall golden chair. Half-moon spectacles rested on the bridge of his nose, covering his bright blue eyes. He had a grandfatherly appearance. Above her, she saw candles floating in mid-air. The ceiling mimicked the weather outside though the droplets of rain did not fall to the floor.

Daphne waved at her from a table on the far left. As she walked over to the table, kids whispered, watching her. Some girls smiled at her. Daphne moved aside, letting Aria sit between her and Tracey.

"I knew you'd be with us. Green looks so good on you. It brings out your eyes"

"I uh didn't know that"

"You haven't been here for an entire day and you're already a celebrity"

Aria looked at her, confused. Daphne said that everyone knew that she conjured a patronus on the train to repel the dementors. She admitted to telling a few kids. Daphne was clearly a gossip. Aria struggled to not smack her upside the head. She came to Hogwarts to blend in, not stand out, and that would be difficult if the entire school talked about her.

"Don't be embarrassed by it" said Pansy.

"I'm just not used to…it was really nothing. Anyone could have done that"

"Doubt it. I've never even seen a patronus before…where did you learn it?" asked Blaise.

"I just taught myself when I was bored"

Draco silently scoffed. He still had bits of dried blood under his nose. A tiny man entered the Great Hall with a group of kids. He was holding the sorting hat in his hand. Unrolling a piece of parchment, he called out their names in alphabetical order. One by one, the kids got sorted while sitting on a stool. Aria was glad that her sorting did not take place in front of the entire school. The ceremony seemed to take forever. She clapped with the other Slytherins when someone got sorted into their house. Once the last student was placed into Ravenclaw, the hat and stool were taken out of the Great Hall. She spotted Harry and Hermione sneaking over to a table with kids wearing red and gold ties. McGonagall sat beside the elderly wizard. Tracey told her about each of the professors. Dumbledore, the elderly wizard, was the headmaster of the school and regarded as the greatest wizard of the age.

Standing up from his chair, he addressed the entire school. His voice had a very calming effect.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I'd like to say a few words before we become befuddled by our excellent feast. First, I'd like to welcome Professor Lupin, who has consented to take the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher"

Lupin gave a small wave. Aria smiled, clapping with most of the students. The Slytherins did not look very enthusiastic.

"I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid"

Aria's eyes widened as a man, who had to be at least eleven feet tall, stood up at the table. He had a very wild appearance, including his dark bushy beard that covered most of his face. The applause was loudest at the Gryffindor table. Fred and George stamped their feet on the floor, making a lot of noise.

"Is Dumbledore mental? What is that idiot going to teach us?" she heard Draco mutter.

Dumbledore waited for the applause to die down. "On a more disquieting note, the Ministry has requested that Hogwarts play host to the dementors of Azkaban. They will be stationed at every entrance to the grounds until Sirius Black is captured. While they are here, I must warn you that it is not in the nature of a dementor to be forgiving. They are vicious and will not distinguish between those they are hunting and those who stand in their way. Give them no reason to harm you"

Aria did not find this news uplifting. Like Dumbledore said, dementors could be very dangerous. She was sure no one wanted to relive the train incident. None of the students looked pleased with the new guards at the school. She hoped that Sirius Black would be captured soon. As Dumbledore finished his announcements, all four tables were filled with food. It looked like a buffet. There was enough food to feed a small country. She bit her lip lightly, having gotten used to barely eating enough to survive a single day. Eagerly, she put food on her plate.

The girls told her information about Hogwarts, though none of it had to do with classes. They pointed out the popular kids and who to avoid. Pansy mentioned a Neville Longbottom, an outcast Gryffindor who always made mistakes in class. He was a round-faced boy with an anxious expression that never left his face. Aria realized that he must own the toad she found on the train. She overheard a few older guys joking about Harry. One of the dementors had entered his compartment and he fainted. Aria did not find it funny.

As the plates cleared, she held her stomach. She had not felt so full in years.

"Aaron, we'll take you to the common room. Daphne got the password already from one of the prefects"

"Sure. Just give me a minute"

Aria went over to the Gryffindor table. Harry was laughing as Ron told a joke. Ron's smile faltered when he saw her. Harry turned around, his expression cold.

"Hey. I heard about what happened with the dementor. It's nothing to worry about…these kids act all tough but the same would've happened to them"

He was silent. She looked at him, confused.

"What's wrong?"

"What are you doing here, Slytherin?" said a guy with sandy brown hair and an Irish accent, glaring.

Aria was taken aback by his harsh tone and noticed that a lot of Gryffindors were throwing her nasty looks.

"I have a name. It's Aaron. What's yours, leprechaun boy?"

"None of your business, snake. You're not welcome here"

Hermione looked sympathetic. "Aaron, Seamus didn't mean that. He just"

"Stop talking to him" hissed Ron.

She remembered the supposed rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Harry had said all Slytherins were awful. Though there did not seem to be many decent ones, he knew that she was nothing like them. She could not believe that they would shun her for being in Slytherin.

"Ron, you're being ridiculous"

"No, it's fine, Hermione. He obviously has to listen to some lame rumor that all Slytherins are evil little monsters"

Aria looked at Harry. He stared at his empty plate.

"Let's not forget that I defended you from Malfoy tonight. I'm not any different because I'm in Slytherin. You know what? I don't even care. Treat me like dirt all you want. I don't need to be friends with idiots who can't think for themselves. You are as just as judgmental as that blonde prat. You're a hypocrite"

"I'm nothing like Malfoy"

"You can say that a million times but it doesn't change the fact that it's true"

She put the toad on the plate in front of Neville. He looked surprised.

"Trevor!"

"I found him on the train. I heard he was yours"

"T—thanks"

"I'm such an awful person, aren't I? Someone throw me in Azkaban right now" she told Harry.

Aria left the Great Hall. The girls were waiting.

"What were you doing with the Gryffindors?" asked Millicent.

"I was giving that kid his toad. I felt bad"

She followed them down to the dungeons. They stopped at a bare stone wall. It was the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Daphne explained that the password changed every two weeks.

"Purity"

The wall moved aside, revealing a passageway. She followed them through the opening. It led to a circular ornate room filled with black leather couches and chairs, a fireplace, and other lavish things. The room had a greenish tint from the windows, which showed parts of the lake. She could see fish swimming by the window.

"It's nice"

"The dormitories are up those stairs. The boys' rooms are to the left. You're rooming with the other third years"

"Got it"

The girls insisted on introducing her to other Slytherins. She noticed a few common traits like arrogance and spoiled attitudes. The Slytherins all came from extremely wealthy pureblood families. They had the mentality that they were superior due to their blood status. Aria found it difficult to feign smiles when girls acted a bit flirty. Someone grabbed her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Blaise.

"Come on, you don't need to hang around with the girls. I know it's torture"

Blaise brought her over to the couches. There was a group of guys, mostly older. He introduced them to her. She saw her cousin Graham, who was currently in his fifth year. He looked very similar to Elyse. When she had gone to see her aunt, she watched Graham play with his two younger siblings, who were fraternal twins a year younger than Aria. He also had an older sister, who would have recently graduated from Hogwarts, and a brother, who just turned 20. Aria doubted that Graham knew anything about her. She met another third year named Theodore Nott, who was very tall and thin and insisted that she call him Theo.

"Draco went to the hospital wing. He said his nose was hurting. Guess you threw a good punch" said Blaise.

Adrian sniggered. "That was you? Don't feel bad. Draco deserves a few punches to the face"

Aria could not help smiling. He handed her a bottle of butterbeer. She took a small sip. Graham was reading over a note.

"Who's that from, Graham?" asked Miles.

"My mother. She said to be careful with Black on the loose. She thinks my uncle might have convinced him to come after me"

"Your uncle's in Azkaban?" she said.

He nodded. "Aaron Collins. I never met him. He's my mother's younger brother. She said that he's mental. He was disowned by their parents when he married some filthy blood traitor. She killed herself about 5 years ago…my grandparents broke out the champagne in celebration"

Aria gripped the bottle in her hand. The glass was close to cracking. She was furious that her aunt pretended her father was some lunatic. Graham had no idea of the truth. She silently listened to their conversations about quidditch. Adrian, Graham, Miles, and Draco were on the Slytherin team. Adrian and Graham were chasers with Marcus Flint, the seventh year who was captain of the team and had a rivalry with the Gryffindor captain. Miles played keeper and Draco played seeker.

"Do you play quidditch? We've got try-outs for reserve positions in two weeks"

"I haven't played much but I might give it a shot" she replied, forming a plan in her head.

An hour later, Draco returned to the common room. He sat in one of the armchairs. Grabbing a butterbeer, he looked at Aria.

"So you're friends with Potter?"

"No"

"Don't lie. You stuck up for him and I saw you walk over to the Gryffindor table. Another one for Potter's fan club?"

"Draco, leave it alone. Aaron didn't do anything" said Blaise.

"Oh he did plenty. Just admit it, Shaw"

"We're not friends. I met them in Diagon Alley and they helped me out a little. I thought they were decent but I was wrong. They're not worth my time"

"Those Gryffindors are all high and mighty. They think they're perfect" said Lucian, a seventh year.

Around midnight, most of the kids had gone up to their rooms. Pansy kissed Draco on the cheek. He did not show much interest, busy listening to Adrian's story about meeting some famous quidditch player. As Adrian talked, Talia Bane, a fourth year, went over to Draco and sat on his lap. He smirked at her.

"Don't go near Talia. She's…not exactly the most innocent girl. She gets around a lot. She spent most of the summer at Draco's house. Their fathers are friends" whispered Theodore.

"Isn't he dating Pansy?"

"She thinks so"

Aria turned to him. "Let's just say one is more interested than the other"

Talia kissed Draco, unbuttoning his shirt. Aria glared slightly. If possible, she disliked Draco even more. He had no right to treat Pansy like dirt. Her feelings for him were obvious but he did not care. He was content with cheating on her behind her back. His friends even kept it from her. Aria found not one single redeeming quality within him.

"Aw, what happened to your nose?"

"Shaw punched me"

Talia looked over at Aria. She smiled.

"You're the new guy, right? You're really cute"

"Hands off, Talia. Daphne's got her eyes on him" said Blaise.

"Like I care"

Talia sat next to her. Aria kept her guard up, unsure of what would happen next. She tensed up when Talia brushed her hand against her arm.

"I'm much better company"

Her hand was moving lower towards her pants. Aria pushed her hand aside.

"Sorry, you're not my type. I prefer girls who don't sleep with a guy for just making eye contact with her"

Some of the guys sniggered. Talia glared.

"No one talks to me like that"

"Obviously someone should. You must have a really low opinion of yourself. I'm guessing you think it's some kind of accomplishment that you steal guys from other girls because you offer a little more. You might think it's fun now but in ten years, you'll be struggling to figure out the father of your child. Thankfully, I will not be on that long list"

Aria got up from the couch and went to her room…


	6. Grim Warnings

-The next day- Aria was getting dressed in the uniform. Today was the first day of classes at Hogwarts. She had never been in an actual school since her mother homeschooled while they were hiding for all those years. A small part of her was excited. She did her best to avoid seeing the guys change, not wanting to spot anything below their waists. Living with guys for an entire school year would not be the easiest thing. They were far from shy about their bodies. Aria stared out the window, watching the fish swim in the lake. As she put her books into her backpack, Draco walked over to her, still shirtless.

"Listen here, Shaw. You better not tell Pansy about me and Talia last night or I will make your year here a living hell"

Aria grabbed her wand off of her bed and pointed it at him. Almost like a reflex, he took a step back. She moved her wand up and down. He looked at her, oddly.

"What are you doing?"

"It's a radar to monitor how much I care about your personal life. Not even the tiniest little blip. Malfoy, I could not care less about your proclivities for girls who probably will end up on a trashy talk show to prove that some random guy is their baby's daddy even though he denies it. Just to warn you when she brings you on the stage, the camera adds ten pounds. On the bright side, it might help you look like you don't have the body of a little girl"

"You think you're so funny, don't you?"

She smiled, picking up her backpack. "I know I am"

"Aaron, why are you leaving already?" asked Blaise, still resting his head on a pillow.

"I'm going to take a quick tour of the castle"

Aria left the common room and headed towards the quidditch pitch. There was a small wooden shed by the stands. Adrian told her that the school store brooms in the shed for the first years to use in their flying lessons or if a player needed a broom for matches. Opening the shed, she saw various kinds of brooms. She grabbed a _Cleansweep Five_. Standing in the middle of the pitch, she looked at the broom. She checked for any instructions on how to use it to fly.

"You need some help?"

A tall guy, Graham's age, had just landed on the ground, getting off of a sleek broom. He was very handsome with wavy golden brown hair, bright grey eyes, and a very muscular build. His shirt accentuated his large biceps. She kept herself from blushing. The guy looked like he jumped out of a magazine. He smiled.

"You're that new transfer student, right? Aaron?"

She nodded. Her stomach felt like it twisted into a million knots. She never experienced this kind of sensation.

"I'm Cedric Diggory, a prefect in Hufflepuff. What are you doing out here?"

"I was just…my mother is pushing me to get involved since it's a new school. I thought of doing quidditch. I've never um really played. There's only reserve spots in Slytherin but I uh…I just—no harm in trying"

Aria was sounding like a bumbling idiot. She did not understand what made her so nervous around him. Cedric chuckled.

"I'm guessing you've never flown on a broom"

"Not really. My old school didn't teach it"

"Well the first step is a little complicated. Put one leg over the broom and sit"

Aria sat on the broom. She expected it to be awkward but it was actually comforting. Cedric told her to kick off from the ground. Following his instructions, she noticed the broom hovering a foot off of the ground. He gave her useful tips on how to maneuver the broom.

"You should try going a little higher. Flint will kick you off the pitch if you can't get at least up to the height of the hoops"

She flew up towards the hoops. It felt incredible. The wind was rushing through her hair. She went back towards the ground.

"You're a natural. What position are you going for at the tryout?"

"Seeker"

"That's the toughest position on the team. I'm a seeker for Hufflepuff. There are some golf balls in the broom shed. You can use those to practice. That's what I did before my tryout in second year"

He looked at his watch. "Classes are going to start in a few minutes. We should head back to the castle"

They went over to the broom shed. As Cedric opened the door, balloons zoomed towards him, covering his face and shirt. She heard loud laughter. Glancing around, she spotted a pair of ginger-haired heads hiding behind nearby bushes. He sighed.

"Typical Fred and George"

Cedric took off his shirt. Aria bit her lip, staring at his muscles. If Draco had a body like Cedric's, she would not be bothered by him constantly being shirtless. He flicked his wand, wiping off the paint. She quickly raised her gaze to his face before he noticed her eyes on his abs.

"Are you okay?"

"It's just paint. This is tamer than their usual pranks. You'll get used to them after a while"

Aria followed him into the castle. Daphne hurried over to them.

"Here you are, Aaron. You missed breakfast. I got you a bagel before the food vanished. I remember you saying that you like strawberries so here you go"

She handed her a bagel covered with strawberry jam, along with a class schedule. "Thanks, Daphne"

"I should get going to Potions. I'll see you around, Aaron" said Cedric.

He went down to the dungeons. Daphne looped her arm through Aria's, bringing her towards the staircase.

"You're friends with Cedric Diggory?" she asked, interested.

"We just met. He was helping me out with flying. I'm thinking of going to tryouts"

"I bet you could play any position"

Glancing at her schedule, she saw that their first class was Divinations. "So did I miss anything at breakfast?"

They walked up to the North Tower. Daphne told her how Draco made fun of Harry's fainting on the train from the dementors. Though Daphne laughed about it, Aria was not amused. She did not think that Draco had any right to tease Harry when he had been hiding like a frightened child during the dementor incident. After a very long walk, they stopped at a circular trapdoor. The trapdoor opened and a silver ladder descended to the floor.

The ladder led to a classroom with small circular tables surrounded by poufs and armchairs with floral patterns. All of the curtains were closed, making the light in the room slightly dim. The scent of a heavy perfume almost made her choke and the shelves circling the room had candles, tattered playing cards, teacups, and crystal balls. Aria noticed that the room was split with Gryffindors and Slytherin on either side. They went over to the Slytherin side and she sat next to Theodore. Pansy leaned her head on Draco's shoulder. Though she claimed to not care if Draco snuck around with other girls, Aria felt remorse for her.

"Do you know what this class is like?" she asked Theodore.

He shrugged. "I've never even seen Trelawney. She's always in this tower. I hear she's batty and makes all kinds of weird predictions"

Suddenly, she heard a soft, misty voice. A woman stepped out from the dim light and moved in front of the fireplace. Aria was taken aback by her bizarre appearance. Her large glasses made her eyes seem five times bigger and her clothing consisted of a shawl that draped over most of her body, numerous chains around her neck, and gaudy rings on her fingers. Aria was reminded of the weird psychics on muggle television.

"Welcome to Divination. My name is Professor Trelawney. This may be the first time you have seen me since I find that being around the bustle of the school clouds my Inner Eye"

"I think batty is an understatement" muttered Blaise.

Trelawney began a long speech. She called Divinations the most difficult art in magic and warned them that books would not help them succeed in the class. Aria noticed that Hermione's eyes widened at this claim. Trelawney continued talking about how it was rare to be able to see into the future. For their first year in the class, they would study tea leaves, palmistry, crystal balls, and fire omens. She proceeded to make a few predictions, including grim news that Neville's grandmother might be ill and Parvati Patil, a Gryffindor of Indian descent, should beware a red-haired man.

"Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February due to a nasty flu and I will lose my voice. Around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever"

Aria rolled her eyes. Trelawney's predictions sounded far too vague. It would make sense for kids to get the flu during winter and with her warning to Neville, it was very possible that his elderly grandmother could be ill at anytime. When she asked Lavender Brown, a ditzy Gryffindor who appeared to be close to Parvati, for one of the teapots, she said that something she dreaded would happen on October 16th.

"Well this class will be easy. Just make predictions that are really ambiguous and you'll pass" whispered Aria.

Daphne giggled under her breath. Trelawney told them to divide into small groups and get a teacup from her. Once they drank the tea, they would swirl the cup a few times and give it to another person to read to make predictions based on patterns in the remains. She suggested that Neville take a blue cup after he broke one. As they waited to get their cups, Aria heard a crashing sound. Neville had dropped his cup. Parvati and Lavender looked at Trelawney, amazed. Aria shook her head. She was not as impressed since it was known that Neville was clumsy. After getting her own cup, she followed Trelawney's instructions. She traded cups with Daphne. Opening her copy of _Unfogging the Future_, she looked at the symbols.

"Okay, um…there's an eye. That means protection. There's a heart too and that's for love and friendship"

Daphne looked at the cup. "There's like nothing here. This is lame"

Everyone was struggling to interpret the remains in the teacups. It was not easy to see defined patterns. Trelawney walked over to their table. She gasped, looking at Blaise. He jumped in his seat.

"My dear, you have a bright aura"

"I do?"

"Yes, yes. You may possess the gift of Sight. Tell me what you see in the cup"

Blaise interpreted Theodore's cup. He said that he would suffer a great loss but gain an unexpected fortune.

"So you're going to kill your parents and take all of their money. We need to watch out for you" said Aria.

The Slytherins sniggered. Trelawney did not look pleased with her sarcasm. Taking the cup from Daphne, she shook her head.

"This is not a happy cup, I'm afraid"

"Oh no, did he lose his girlfriend? Now they can't make little cup babies. I am devastated"

"Forgive me, my dear, but I cannot feel any sort of aura from you"

"I think you should keep your feeling to a minimum"

She went over to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Tracey scoffed, calling Trelawney foolish. Aria looked at Blaise.

"You better be careful. She likes your aura"

He hit her with one of the poufs. "That's not funny. She's completely mental"

Aria got distracted by Trelawney loudly interpreting Harry's teacup. She kept seeing symbols of misfortune like a falcon, club, and skull. As she turned the cup, she screamed. She sank into her armchair, eyes closed. Aria was not being fooled by her dramatics. Trelawney looked at Harry with pity.

"My dear…my poor boy…it is kinder not to say…"

Most of the class had gone over to her to see Harry's cup. Aria followed them, bored. She stood towards the back, arms crossed.

"My dear, you have the Grim"

To her confusion, a lot of kids looked scared. She checked her book. The grim was the symbol of a giant dog and considered a death omen. When Trelawney told this to Harry, he looked nervous. Only Aria and Hermione did not stare at him. They both were disbelieving of Trelawney's predictions. Seamus remarked that it looked like the Grim if he squinted his eyes.

"When you've all finished deciding if I'm going to die or not!" shouted Harry.

Kids avoided eye contact with him. As it neared the end of class, they packed their things and descended down the ladder. They walked towards the Transfiguration classroom.

"That's so creepy. I've never seen a Grim before" said Pansy.

"He's not going to die because of something in his tea, Pansy. That's ridiculous. Trelawney just wants to freak everyone out for the first class" said Aria.

"Grims are real. There was this article in _Witch Weekly_ about a girl who saw one and she died a few hours later"

"Coincidence"

The girls were not convinced. "Let them think it's true. I wouldn't miss Potter" said Draco.

Aria was unsure if she could stand being in Divinations. She hoped the other lessons would not be as absurd. As McGonagall talked about animagi, a term for wizards able to transform into animals, not many kids seemed to pay attention. Some kept glancing at Harry in the back of the classroom. McGonagall demonstrated her animagi form by turning into a tabby cat. As she changed back, she looked displeased.

"What has gotten into you all today?"

Harry stared at the floor. Hermione told McGonagall about the first Divinations lessons.

"Ah, of course. So tell me, who will be dying this year?" she asked with a slight frown.

"Me" replied Harry.

"Hmm, well Potter, you should know Sibyll Trelawney predicts the death of a student every year since she arrived at this school but none of them have died. It is her favorite way of greeting a new class. Divinations is an imprecise art. True seers are rare and Professor Trelawney…"

McGonagall looked ready to discredit the bizarre professor. She kept her thoughts to herself.

"You look fine to me but in the event that you do die, you will not need to hand in your homework"

Aria suppressed a laugh. Despite McGonagall's assurances, it did not convince all of the students. Ron continued to watch Harry with a worried expression. They spent the rest of class taking notes on animagi. McGonagall assigned them an essay on animagi throughout history and the process of changing into an animal. As they left the classroom, a screech owl flew over to Aria. She untied the letter from its leg. Sneaking into an empty corridor, she read the letter from her father. He warned her to be careful at the first full moon after her 13th birthday. Her father could not explain since the letter was scanned before being sent out from Azkaban. He wrote that everything would be fine and that she would be able to handle the curse.

The lack of information was disconcerting. She had no idea what he could be referring to in the letter. Her mother never mentioned anything bad about her 13th birthday. Instead of the Great Hall, she headed to the library…


	7. Provoking Draco

Instead of the Great Hall, she headed to the library. She searched a section on curses. After a few minutes, she found a book about curses related to the lunar cycle. She sat at a table in the back of the library. The book was not very useful, focusing mostly on werewolves. Aria doubted that she could be a werewolf since signs of that would have shown up from birth. She never shifted into a wolf at the full moon. Just from his writings, she could tell that this curse was a serious matter. At first, she contemplated going to Lupin since he would know a lot about curses, being the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She decided against it, not wanting to draw attention to herself. The book showed a lunar cycle chart. Her father had warned her about the next full moon. It would occur in a week, which was not a lot of time to do more research.

A shadow fell over the book. Glancing up, she saw Hermione. Her bag looked close to bursting open and spilling out its contents.

"Aaron, I want to apologize. Harry and Ron are being incredibly foolish. Everyone is too stubborn to think that this ancient rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin should end. I don't believe in it. I like to judge people for myself…and you're no different than the person we met in Diagon Alley"

"You don't have to apologize"

"Yes, I do. I should have defended you last night. Ron keeps insisting that I tell Dumbledore to give you a different tutor but I'm not going to do that"

"I'm surprised they're not with you. You three seem like you're attached at the hip"

Hermione sat down at the table. She and Ron had gotten into a fight over what happened in Divinations. While they were eating, Harry admitted to seeing a black dog on the night he left his house. Hermione, being logical, called it a stray but Ron took it as a sign of the Grim. He told some story about how his uncle saw one and died the next day. When Hermione countered that he died of fright, since the omen scares most in the wizarding community, Ron said that there was definitely a Grim in Harry's cup despite that the fact that he originally saw it as a sheep. He claimed that Hermione was annoyed that she was bad at a school subject. Aria sided with Hermione, believing what McGonagall said about Trelawney predicting a student's death as a kind of joke.

"It'll blow over, Hermione. They'll find other things to talk about besides the chance that Harry will die from seeing a dog"

"Well since we're both here, do you want to get started on tutoring? We'll have to alter the schedule now that you're in Slytherin"

Hermione took out her Charms textbook. They spent the rest of lunch by reviewing spells and concepts from first and second year lessons. Aria understood the material, performing the spells with ease. She was conjuring a small flame with the tip of her wand.

"You really don't need a tutor"

"I think it's just to make sure I don't embarrass myself in front of the class"

"Trust me, you won't. Half the kids in our year can barely do a proper levitation charm. These lessons will be a good excuse to still hang out with you"

Hearing the bell ring from the clock tower, they left the library. Their next lesson was Care of Magical Creatures.

"So are you enjoying Slytherin?"

"They're not that horrible…but that might just be because I am a Slytherin. I can't stand Malfoy. He thinks he's the greatest thing on Earth"

"He can be a bit arrogant"

"A bit?"

They walked towards a small wooden cabin. "All right, he's insufferable"

"I don't know how his parents stand him. If I was them, I would've left him at the pound years ago"

Hermione smacked her shoulder. There was a small smile on her face. Aria laughed. Hagrid was waiting outside the cabin with a large boarhound next to him. Hermione told her that its name was Fang and despite the name, it was harmless. Dead ferrets hung over Hagrid's shoulders. Harry and Ron walked over to them. Ron glared at Aria.

"Hermione, what are you doing with him?"

Aria noticed that Ron sounded like a jealous boyfriend. Since he and Harry wanted to see her as some despicable monster for being in Slytherin, she would toy with them. She was not going to beg them for apologies.

"We were just making out in the supply closet. Don't let the bookworm thing fool you. She gets a bit wild" replied Aria, winking at Hermione.

"Aaron, stop it. I was in the library doing my tutoring with him, Ron. We were catching up on Charms. I wish you'd let go of the fact that he's in Slytherin"

"Not likely"

"Well I can see that I am not wanted here. We'll figure out our next tutoring session later, Hermione. If we finish early again, I could study something much more interesting like your mouth"

Ron's face flushed red with anger. Laughing in her head, she walked away from them. Aria heard Hermione tell Ron that it was a joke. She went over to the Slytherins. Draco was not among them.

"Is his royal highness ditching the lesson?"

"Probably. I have half a mind to leave too…this oaf isn't a teacher" said Blaise.

"Why were you with Granger?" asked Daphne, sounding envious.

"Relax. When I transferred, they wanted me to have a tutor to catch up on the curriculum since I wasn't here for the first two years. Dumbledore picked her. It's only for a little while"

As they waited for the rest of the class to show up, Draco walked down the hill. Pansy kissed his cheek.

"Hey, you came"

"From just a touch, Malfoy? Doesn't take much to get you excited, does it?" asked Aria.

He looked at her, confused. After a minute, his eyes widened in realization of her dirty meaning. He scowled.

"Shut it, Shaw"

"Did your other girlfriend help you out with that?"

The other Slytherins turned to her. Draco's face paled slightly.

"Other girlfriend?" said Pansy in a shrill voice.

"Pansy, didn't you know? He's very committed to her. They're with each other every night. Her name's Righty"

Aria moved her hand up and down near her pants, panting. Blaise, Theodore, Crabbe, and Goyle sniggered. Some other guys, overhearing the conversation, stifled their laughs into their sleeves. The girls scrunched their noses in disgust. Draco was reaching his boiling point. Pansy threw a rock at her.

"You're just as bad as Blaise with his gross jokes"

Hagrid got their attention. He led them over to a paddock that extended into the forest. Last night, Dumbledore mentioned that the forest was off-limits. Daphne told her that the forest had all kinds of dangerous creatures.

"Everyone gather 'round here! Open your books to page 49"

"Exactly how do we do it?" asked Draco, annoyed.

Aria took out her book from her backpack. The belt was still tied around it. Other kids used things like rope, tape, and large clips to keep their books from attacking them. Her book snapped at her. She smacked it into a tree to disorient it. Hagrid looked surprised that no one had been able to open the books.

"Just stroke the spine"

While Hagrid went into the forest, Aria untied the belt around her book and stroked its spine. It shivered and fell open in her hand. She put her bag down next to a nearby boulder.

"Of course he would give us books that could bite off our fingers" said Tracey.

"I think they're funny" Hermione said to Harry and Ron.

Draco scoffed. "Oh yea, terribly funny, really witty. God, this place has gone to the dogs. Wait till my father hears that Dumbledore's got this oaf teaching classes"

"Shut up, Malfoy" retorted Harry.

With a smirk, he shoved his bag into Crabbe's chest and walked over to him. Draco was slightly taller than Harry. Aria hid her wand in her sleeve, ready to hex Draco if necessary. His expression turned to fear as he took a step back.

"Dementor, dementor!"

Harry and the other Gryffindors quickly turned around to see nothing. Draco acted like a child. Aria did not know what Pansy liked about him. The guys put their robes over their heads, imitating dementors. Pansy, Daphne, Tracey, and Millicent giggled snootily. Aria sat on the boulder, watching their stupid antics and thinking that Hogwarts really needed an intelligence requirement for admission to the school. It should be necessary that all incoming students have an IQ higher than a goldfish. Harry glared at them.

Hagrid returned to the paddock with a strange creature. It had the body, hind legs, and tail of a horse but the front legs, wings, and head of an eagle. Its talons looked sharp enough to slice someone in half with one swipe. The grey feathers covering half of its body gleamed in the sunlight. Hagrid threw a ferret in the air. The creature jumped up and ate it, crushing the ferret with its beak.

"Hippogriffs! Beautiful, isn' he?"

Only Aria seemed to find it interesting. The rest of the class looked scared out of their minds. A few kids glanced around the paddock to figure out the best escape routes. Daphne clung to her arm.

"Firs' thing ter know is they're very proud creatures an' very easily offended. You never want ter insult one. It might just be the last thing yeh ever do. Who'd like ter come an' say hello ter Buckbeak?"

Aria was about to go over to Hagrid until Daphne pulled her back towards the fence.

"Aaron, don't. That thing will tear you into pieces"

Other kids followed Daphne's example, moving away from Buckbeak. Harry had been busy staring at him. When Hagrid turned back to the class, it looked like Harry was a volunteer. Lavender and Parvati whispered to each other about his Grim. Reluctantly, he walked over to Hagrid. Harry was shaking a bit.

"Now you have ter let him make the first move. You give him a nice bow and wait for him to bow back. If he does, you can go pat him. If not…we'll get to that later"

Draco whispered to Crabbe and Goyle, smirking. Aria had a feeling that he wanted to ruin the lesson. Harry bowed towards Buckbeak, maintaining eye contact. Buckbeak flapped his wings, making loud noise. The girls watched anxiously. After a few seconds, the large hippogriff bent its knees forward in a bow. Hagrid clapped enthusiastically. Draco did not look impressed, biting into a green apple. Aria formed an idea in her head.

"Well done, Harry, well done! Go ahead and pat him. Don't be shy"

Carefully, Harry stepped towards Buckbeak. He patted his beak a few times. Hagrid suggested that he take a ride. Harry protested as Hagrid put him on Buckbeak's back. In a split second, Buckbeak flew high into the air, heading towards the lake. The rest of the class talked about Harry's bravery with the hippogriff.

"He was kind of brave, wasn't he? If it was me, I would freak out if it snapped at me like that" said Tracey.

Draco scoffed, tossing his apple over the fence. "Anyone could have done that. It wasn't that great"

"I didn't see you volunteer to go up to it" whispered Aria.

"Well I"

"It's just like on the train with the dementors. It's okay to admit you would be too scared, Malfoy. Not everyone can be brave like Potter. Some are lions and some are little sheep"

He snarled. "I'm not scared of some bird. I could handle that stupid hippogriff even better than him"

"Doubt it. You'd wet yourself as soon as it looked at you"

Harry returned to the paddock. Hagrid helped him off of Buckbeak. The class cheered for him. Draco was getting angrier with each compliment. He wrenched his arm from Pansy's grip and stood up from the boulder.

"Watch me" he hissed to Aria.

As Hagrid praised Harry, Draco pushed through the crowd. He walked straight towards Buckbeak. Aria knew he would be affected by her taunts. He had to prove that he was better than Harry.

"W—what's he doing?" said Pansy.

Aria took out a compact mirror from her backpack. She pointed it away from her.

"Yes, you're not dangerous at all, are you, you great ugly brute?"

Buckbeak let out an angry screech and slashed Draco's arm with his talons. Draco crumpled to the ground, holding his arm. Aria giggled under her breath. Pansy panicked. Blaise held her back from running over to Draco. Hagrid calmed Buckbeak down, throwing him another ferret. Everyone else was freaking out, hiding behind trees and boulders. Hagrid rushed over to Draco. Blood splattered his robes.

"It's killed me, it's killed me"

"I—it's jus' a scratch. Yer not dyin'…jus' relax"

"Hagrid, he needs to go to the hospital wing!" said Hermione, worried.

Hagrid picked him up from the ground. Draco was whimpering in pain.

"You're going to regret this. You and your bloody chicken"

Hagrid ran towards the castle. Aria closed the compact mirror. She feigned concern though on the inside, she was laughing hysterically. Pansy had tears streaming down her face. The other Slytherins argued that Hagrid should be fired immediately.

"It was Malfoy's fault!" said Dean Thomas.

Crabbe and Goyle rubbed their knuckles in a threatening manner. Pansy hurried up the path to the castle with Daphne, Millicent, and Tracey following after her.

"We should go with them. Knowing Pansy, she'll drive Pomfrey up a wall" said Blaise.

Aria stayed behind in the paddock. Most of the class was still too shaken to even move one step. She opened the compact mirror. It replayed the scene of Draco getting attacked in vivid detail. She put the mirror in her backpack and walked over to Buckbeak. Harry was leaning against a tree, staring at the spot where Draco had been minutes ago. Buckbeak looked at her. Before she even lowered herself into a bow, he nudged her hand with his beak. She pet his head. Harry watched her, surprised.

"How are you doing that? You didn't even bow"

"Guess he knows I'm not scared"

There were some dead ferrets on the ground. She picked one up and fed it to Buckbeak.

"Nice job taking care of that little rat. You are my new best friend" she whispered.

Aria went up to the owlery. Speedy flew around her head, excitedly. She wrote a quick letter and tied it to his leg, telling him where to bring the letter. He zoomed out the window. As she walked down the staircase, she could hear Pansy's sobbing from the hospital wing. She spotted the Slytherins standing outside and Blaise patting her back.

"How is he?" she asked, pretending to care.

Pansy sniffled and wiped her eyes with a tissue. "That beast almost killed him, Aaron. If that oaf didn't calm it down, it could've eaten him or something. What if he loses his arm?"

"I think his limbs will stay intact. It wasn't that bad"

"He's in so much pain. Madam Pomfrey won't even let us see him yet"

Aria stayed with them by the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey opened the door. She told them that they could see Draco for a few minutes before he took a sleeping draught. He was sitting in one of the beds, a sling on his injured arm. Pansy threw her arms around him, acting like he was dying.

"Does it hurt really bad, Draco?"

"It comes and goes. I'm really lucky. Madam Pomfrey said I could have lost my arm"

She pouted. "You poor thing. I'll do all your homework for you until you're better"

"Thanks, Pansy. What would I do without you?"

"Let me get you some water"

She went over to a sink with the girls. Aria crossed her arms over her chest.

"So how long are we milking this for, your highness?"

"I'm not milking anything. That beast tried to kill me. Just shut up, Shaw"

She pretended to zip her mouth. Moving her wand in mid-air, the words _I'm sorry you're so stupid _appeared in glowing gold letters.

"Shut up!"

The words changed to _I'm not talking_. He chucked a pillow at her, angrily. She caught it. Pansy returned with a glass of water. She promised to come back after dinner tonight and every day during breaks until he left the hospital wing. He put on this pathetic injured routine. Madam Pomfrey ushered them out of the hospital wing so he could get some rest...


	8. Potions and Letters

-A week later- Over the past week, Pansy had been spending most of her time at the hospital wing. She was doting on Draco by doing his homework, copying class notes for him, and bringing him meals. It made Aria feel even worse that Pansy acted like such a great girlfriend to him yet he saw nothing wrong with fooling around behind her back. A few other girls had gone up to the hospital wing to see him, including Talia, and she doubted it was to bring him glasses of water. Draco continued to play up his injury, pretending to be in terrible pain. Aria could see that his arm was fully healed within a few days. Buckbeak had not done terrible damage. At most, the attack left Draco with a sprained arm.

During one of their tutoring sessions, Hermione told her that the school governors were informed of the incident and reprimanded Hagrid for starting with a dangerous creature. Harry and Ron took it upon themselves to spy on them. They would sit at a nearby table in the library, watching as they went over various topics. Aria found it funny that they were worried about her trying something with Hermione. While Draco whined about his injuries, she had spent her time preparing for the quidditch tryout. Using money from her vault, she bought a _Nimbus 2001 _from a quidditch catalog. She took it out very early in the morning to practice flying at the pitch. Following Cedric's advice, she used golf balls in the broom shed. She enchanted them to move around like a golden snitch and would chase after them.

Aria was standing in the pitch with a group of other Slytherins. She had to compete against three sixth years, a fourth year, and a seventh year for the position of seeker. Her only real competition was Damon Berrow, a sixth year who claimed to be receiving offers from national teams. Aria was not afraid of him despite his burly frame. Flint, who looked like he could be part troll, went over the rules of the tryout. Each position would have an individual part and then they would imitate an actual game. Aria waited to the side while Lucian and Peregrine tested the beaters.

"Nervous?" asked Adrian.

"I'm never nervous"

He chuckled. "Well you're confident. That's good"

There were kids in the stands, watching the tryouts. Some were from the other houses. Aria assumed that they wanted to scope out the potential recruits on the Slytherin team in case they had to play them in a match. She could see Fred, George, Harry, and Oliver Wood at the top row of the stands. Daphne, Millicent, and Tracey were a few rows below, waving at Aria.

"You could have hundreds of girls cheering you on but it won't help you get the snitch"

She looked at Damon. "No. I'll get it because I'm the best one here"

He scoffed. "That would be me. I trained with the England national team all summer. My dad knows the seeker personally"

"So it'll be even worse for you when I get the spot, won't it?"

"You're not going to beat me, Shaw. You've got no chance"

The seeker position was last for the individual tryouts. Flint had them go one at a time. He used a stopwatch to time how long it took for them to catch the snitch. She had to admit that Damon was impressive. He found the snitch in the fastest time at a little over two minutes.

"Shaw, you're up"

Aria got onto her broom and flew into the air. Adrian released the snitch. It moved much faster than the golf balls, being like lightning. She saw a flash of gold near the center hoop on the left side of the pitch. Picking up speed, she flew in that direction and grabbed the snitch. It fluttered in her hand as she landed on the ground. She handed it back to Adrian. Flint looked at his stopwatch.

"45 seconds. Fastest time I've seen since I've done these tryouts"

Damon's fists clenched. Aria passed him, smirking.

"Did you hear that, Berrow? It's the sound of you getting your butt kicked"

Flint set everyone up into two teams where they would alternate positions once the seeker caught the snitch. After two games that seemed to last forever, Aria was going against Damon. An actual game was far more fast-paced. Besides searching for the snitch, she had to dodge bludgers and other players. The bludgers could be particularly nasty. She spotted the snitch near the Ravenclaw stands. As she reached for it, she got knocked aside roughly. Damon had slammed into her on purpose. He moved in front of her, allowing the snitch to disappear from sight. She went back to circling the pitch. Damon was tailing her and everywhere she turned, she almost bumped into him. It was beginning to infuriate her.

She spotted the snitch close to the ground. Instead of going after it, she pretended to see the snitch in the opposite direction. Damon fell for her trick, following her. As he pulled ahead of her, she did a quick turn and pushed the broom to its limits to not lose the snitch again. She grabbed it right as it started to fly upward. Flint blew a whistle to end the game. She held onto the snitch.

"You cheated, Shaw" hissed Damon.

"I didn't cheat. It's not my fault you fell for that fake-out"

Flint announced who got each position. He looked at Aria.

"You're our reserve seeker, Shaw. I want you at every practice since Draco's in the hospital wing and I don't know if he'll be good enough to play in our first match. The rest of you in reserve positions only need to go to one practice a month but you better practice on your own in case we need you at the last minute"

Adrian told the new recruits to put their brooms in the Slytherin locker room with the rest of the team's brooms. Aria followed the other kids who got reserve positions on the team. She placed her broom on a rack. As she left the locker room, she was tackled in a hug. Daphne squealed.

"You were so amazing, Aaron"

"No offense to Draco but you would be a much better seeker for the team" said Tracey.

"Thanks. I doubt I'll get to play much but we'll see. Is Pansy still with him at the hospital wing?"

"Yea. They're having a cute little breakfast date"

They went down to the dungeons for Potions. Snape was not the friendliest teacher at Hogwarts. He had a very cold and harsh demeanor. Though he favored Slytherins, being the head of house, it did not make him any more pleasant. By the end of their first Potions lesson, she learned that Snape tended to bully students in the other houses and he despised Harry. She was at a table with Blaise and Theodore. After a short lecture, they started work on shrinking solutions. Snape spent a lot of time criticizing students. Only ten minutes into the potion making, Neville was close to tears. As she grabbed the jar of rat spleens, Draco entered the classroom. His arm was still in a sling and he had a slight grimace on his face. Aria rolled her eyes, not falling for this act.

"How do you feel, Draco?" asked Pansy, concerned.

"Still hurts a lot. I'll be able to pull through in time"

"What an idiot" muttered Aria.

"You know he's going to keep this up since girls keep doting on him" said Blaise.

Draco set up his cauldron at the desk in front of them, the same as Harry and Ron. He complained about difficulty with preparing the ingredients. Snape forced them to help Draco with his potion. When Ron purposely cut the daisy roots into unequal pieces, he had to give his own to Draco. Snape was getting a sick pleasure from it. As she added another sliced caterpillar to her cauldron, her potion turned acid green. She was the first to finish the potion. While she waited, she read a passage in her textbook. Snape was going around the room, inspecting their potions. When he inspected Blaise's potion, he looked like he was holding back a lot of negative comments. Instead of the expected green color, his potion was blue. Blaise grinned innocently. Snape sighed and peered into Aria's cauldron. For the first time, he looked impressed.

"Excellent potion, Shaw. You clearly have an aptitude for this subject. Help Mister Zabini correct his potion"

He walked over to a trio of Ravenclaw girls. Blaise pushed his cauldron towards her.

"Have at it, mate. I'm awful at potions"

"That's obvious. You forgot to add the daisy roots. Put them in and stir it four times clockwise"

He followed her instructions. As he stirred the cauldron, it turned from blue to acid green. She overheard a conversation between Draco, Ron, and Harry. Ron accused him of faking his injury.

"I'm afraid your pal Hagrid won't be a teacher for much longer. Father's furious about my injury. He complained to the school governors and the Minister of Magic. With an injury like this, who knows if my arm will ever be the same?"

Harry glared at Draco, accidentally decapitating his caterpillar. "So that's why you're putting on this act…to get Hagrid fired"

"That's part of it, Potter, but there are other benefits. Weasley, slice my caterpillars"

Suddenly, Snape began shouting at Neville. He had messed up his potion very badly. Neville was trembling as Snape reprimanded him for his incompetence. Aria did not understand how he could be a teacher if he was this rude to his students. Hermione offered to help Neville fix his potion.

"I didn't ask you to show off, Miss Granger. Longbottom, at the end of the lesson, we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to follow instructions"

While Snape criticized Lavender for adding unequal pieces of daisy root, Seamus was whispering to Harry and Ron. Aria could hear bits of their conversation. He mentioned Sirius Black being spotted in a town near the castle by a muggle woman. Draco was listening intently. He grabbed the vial of leech juice and smirked at Harry. He questioned if Harry would attempt to catch Black. To her confusion, he said that if he were Harry, he would have gone looking for him to get revenge.

"What's he going on about now?"

"Don't you know why Black's in Azkaban?"

She shook her head. Theodore lowered his voice.

"It was all over the Daily Prophet. You Know Who was looking for the Potters and Black was one of his supporters. He gave away their hideout. He's the reason they're dead…and he killed his best friend Peter Pettigrew and 12 muggles. There was this big explosion and they could only find one of Pettigrew's fingers. Everything else was blown to bits. It was a mess for the Ministry"

Her eyes widened slightly. She understood what Draco meant by revenge. Sirius Black had caused the loss of Harry's parents. She remembered the women in the diner discussing how he escaped to go after Harry. It seemed like he was still a Voldemort supporter and wanted to finish the job. With ten minutes left in the lesson, Snape returned to Neville's cauldron. He told them that if the solution was made properly, his toad would turn into a tadpole but a wrong solution would poison it. Picking up the toad, he fed it a small drop of Neville's potion. To his credit, it was now green instead of orange.

Aria sighed with relief, seeing the toad turn into a small tadpole. The Gryffindors cheered. Snape reversed the effects with another potion.

"Five points from Gryffindor. I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed"

"Is he serious?"

"Snape hates Gryffindor. Don't be surprised by that…he'd take points away for Potter just looking at him" said Theodore.

As she packed up her things, Snape called her over to his desk. He waited for the rest of the class to leave the classroom.

"Your potion was very impressive today, Shaw. You seem to be a bit more advanced than your classmates. I can't place you in a higher level course since it would interfere with your schedule. How would you like to help me on a little project?"

"Project?"

"Yes, it would be once a week after dinner. You would aid me in preparing certain potions. It would provide you with more of a challenge"

"Um sure. I'll help out"

"You'll come by my office starting tomorrow night"

Aria went up to the Great Hall. She sat down at the Slytherin table.

"Aaron, is everything okay?" asked Tracey.

"Yea, Snape just asked me to help him make some potions once a week"

"Wow. He must think you're really good"

As they ate, Speedy landed in front of her. Aria took the letter from him. Speedy had a small cut on his leg. It looked like he had been attacked. She used a charm to heal the cut and fed him a treat. With a soft hoot, he flew out of the Great Hall. She opened the letter. The writing was very different. It looked more feminine. Her aunt had intercepted the letter from her father. She scanned over the letter.

_Aria, _

_I know that you are alive and have been contacting your father. You are the only person he would write to in Azkaban. He is not the man that he used to be and you cannot take anything he says seriously. Your mother never told you this but he has a history of mental instability. I implore you to come see me at the Ministry. With Sirius Black on the loose, it is not safe for you. Your parents had poor choice in friends, including him. All I care about is your safety. If you come to me, I can help explain everything._

_Aunt Elyse_

Aria ripped up the letter underneath the table. Her hands shook in anger. She knew that her aunt was lying to her. Her aunt just wanted to turn her against her father. She was not going to let her drive a wedge between them. Conjuring a flame, she burned the letter to ash. She stabbed her chicken with a fork.

"Are you okay?" asked Blaise.

"Fine" she muttered.

Aria did not pay attention to their conversations. She stared at her plate, quietly wishing that she could see her father. If her aunt knew she was alive, it was a matter of time before she discovered her at Hogwarts. She left the Great Hall, lying about sending a letter to her mother. Sneaking out to the forest, she took out her wand. She used a spell to create a duplicate of her eight year old self. With a quick flick, she had the duplicate look more like a skeleton. She made it vanish, placing it in a specific location, and headed back to the castle…


	9. Full Moon Troubles

Aria headed back to the castle. The corridors were packed with students going to class. She walked up the staircase. As she reached the third floor, she went into the DADA classroom. She sat next to Blaise. A group of girls were sitting around Draco, listening to him talk about his injured arm. He made up this ridiculous story that when Hagrid brought him to the hospital wing, it was close to falling off and looked damaged beyond repair. The girls looked sympathetic. Pansy called him brave for not being scared from the attack. Aria rolled her eyes, questioning how these girls did not see through his blatant lies. She resisted the urge to throw her book at him to shut him up for a few minutes.

Lupin entered the classroom, thankfully ending Draco's dramatic tale. He placed a tatty briefcase on his desk. Daphne muttered a rude joke about his shabby robes. Within her short time at Hogwarts, she learned the Slytherins could be extremely shallow. They tended to judge people based on appearances. If a person did not fit their standards, they were subject to ridicule and relentless bullying. Lupin told the class to follow him for their practical lesson, needing only their wands. They followed him down the corridor.

Peeves, an annoying poltergeist who enjoyed pulling pranks on students and teachers, floated out of a nearby supply closet. He had placed gum into the keyhole. Seeing Lupin, he teased him in a singsong voice, calling him Loony Lupin. At his words, Lupin merely smiled and suggested that Peeves remove the gum. Peeves ignored him, floating upside down. Lupin took out his wand, pointing it at Peeves.

"Waddiwasi!"

The gum shot out of the keyhole and flew into Peeve's nose. Aria stifled a laugh. Lupin was definitely going to be one of her favorite teachers. He seemed much more laid-back and carefree, unlike McGonaall and Snape. They continued down the corridor and stopped in front of the staffroom. The room was filled with numerous chairs and tables and an old wardrobe. Snape was sitting in one of the armchairs, reading the _Daily Prophet_. He folded the newspaper down, a small sneer on his face. She sensed a slight tension between them.

"You can leave the door open, Lupin. I'd rather not watch this inevitable train wreck"

Snape stood up and walked over to the doorway. He looked at Lupin.

"I suppose no one's warned you yet, Lupin. Your class contains Neville Longbottom and he tends to be a bit clumsy and does not follow instructions well. Don't give him anything difficult to do…unless Miss Granger is whispering in his ear"

Hermione and Neville both blushed. Lupin did not look fazed by Snape's insult. She was glad when he defended Neville, ensuring Snape that Neville would do well in the lesson. Snape left the staffroom. Lupin beckoned them over to the wardrobe. The wardrobe shook wildly, close to toppling to the floor. A few kids stepped back, anxious at the thought of what could be inside.

"Not to worry, it's just a boggart"

Aria looked at him, curiously. She had never heard of boggarts. Most kids in the class seemed to know about them. Neville looked terrified while Blaise watched the wardrobe, warily. Lupin gave some information about boggarts. He told them that these creatures preferred dark, enclosed spaces like wardrobes and the gap beneath beds. Aria thought of the Boogeyman, a monster her mother used to warn her about when she was little to keep her from staying up too late. The boggart in the wardrobe had appeared yesterday and they were going to use it for their lesson.

"So what _is _a boggart?"

Hermione's hand rose into the air. "A shape-shifter. It takes the shape of whatever a person fears the most"

"Correct. The boggart in this wardrobe has not taken a form yet. Nobody knows what one looks like when it Is alone. When I let him out, he will immediately become whatever we fear. However, we do have an advantage over the boggart. Can you see what it is, Harry?"

While Harry tried to think of an answer, Hermione raised her hand again. Aria liked talking to her but she needed to tone it down a bit. She could see why some kids were annoyed by her so-called know it all attitude.

"Because there's a lot of us here so it won't know what shape to take?"

Lupin nodded. "Precisely. It's wise to have company when dealing with a boggart because it will become confused. The charm to repel a boggart is very simple but requires force of mind. To really get rid of a boggart, what you need is laughter by forcing it to take the shape of something you find humorous. Repeat after me…riddikulus"

"Riddikulus" they chorused.

"Very good. Now Neville, would you join me, please?"

As the wardrobe shook again, Neville gulped nervously and moved forward from the group of students. Lupin questioned him about what frightened him. Neville mumbled under his breath.

"P—Professor S—Snape"

The entire class laughed. Lupin smiled.

"Yes, he can be intimidating. I believe you live with your grandmother?"

"Y—yes, but I don't want it to turn into her either"

Lupin had Neville describe his grandmother's bizarre clothing. He told him to imagine the clothing clearly in his mind. As he stood next to Neville, he whispered in his ear. Neville looked at him, shocked. Lupin flicked his wand. The wardrobe door swung open and Snape stepped out into the staffroom. Neville held his wand in front of him. The boggart perfectly matched Snape's menacing glare.

"R—riddikulus"

Snape's billowing robes changed into a lace-trimmed dress with a hat topped with a stuffed vulture. He was carrying a large red handbag. Aria could hardly hold back her laughter. Seeing Snape in this outfit was hilarious. Lupin had them form a straight line. He told them to think about what frightened them most and how to turn it into something funny. Aria was unsure of what scared her. Her mother always called her fearless, a trait she inherited from her father. Even the thought of the death eaters or her aunt finding her did not actually scare her. As she kept thinking, she watched others face the boggart. Some had typical fears like snakes and rats.

After Seamus silenced a banshee's voice, Ron moved to the front of the line. The boggart shifted into a six-foot tall spider. Ron whimpered. He pointed his wand at the spider.

"Riddikulus"

Rollerblades formed on its eight legs. It stumbled, attempting to stand up straight. Blaise was next to face the boggart. It turned into a vampire. He cast the spell, changing its fangs into candy corn.

"Good work, Blaise. Draco, you next"

"Bet he's scared of losing that smirk" Aria whispered to Theodore.

He sniggered under his breath. The fangless vampire turned into a leather whip. It moved on its own, making a loud snapping sound. To her surprise, Draco looked very nervous. The sound alone made him tense up, keeping him frozen in place.

"Riddikulus"

She watched the whip turn into a little balloon animal. As Pansy went up next, Aria watched Draco go to the back of the line.

"Aaron, you're up"

Aria snapped out of her thoughts. Pansy had turned the giant cobra into a plush toy. Taking out her wand, Aria stood in front of the boggart. It swirled around for a bit before turning into a light grey mist. Lupin looked at her, curiously.

"This is very interesting. A rare occurrence but it happens. This occurs when the boggart cannot detect fear in a person"

"That's possible?" asked a Ravenclaw girl.

"As I said, it is rare. Aaron would be a good companion to have if you were facing a boggart"

Aria went to the back of the line. The other Slytherins looked at her, amazed.

"You're seriously not scared of anything?" asked Blaise.

"I guess not. My mother always said my father was the same. I mean, I've always done things even if she warned me. One time, we were visiting a family friend who worked with dragons. I sort of jumped onto a Welsh Green's tail to ride it and she freaked out on me for at least an hour"

Harry was facing the boggart. Lupin stood in front of him. The boggart took the form of a full moon.

"Riddikulus!"

It changed into a white balloon and he sent it back to the wardrobe. He gave five points to everyone who faced the boggart and five points to Harry and Hermione for answering his questions. Their homework for next lesson was to summarize the chapter on boggarts. They left the staffroom and walked down to the Great Hall. Aria thought that was the most interesting lesson she had at Hogwarts. After dinner, they hung around in the common room. Aria kept glancing at her watch. Tonight was the full moon. She had no idea what to expect since her father gave her little information on this curse. When she looked at the books in the library relating to the moon, all of it was about werewolves or different kinds of potions.

As the guys talked about a recent quidditch match between Ireland and France, the girls went on about random gossip. Draco was on the floor, staring into the fireplace. Aria sat next to him.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine"

"Does this have to do with the boggart lesson?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not stupid. I really doubt that you are a lion tamer in training…"

Draco looked at her. "It was nothing"

The tone of his voice said different. Aria simply nodded, not wanting to push him. She knew that Draco was hiding something. For the first time, she saw him scared and it had to do with the boggart. Snape entered the common room.

"Montague, come here. There's something we need to discuss"

"You think he knows that we pulled that prank on the Hufflepuffs?" whispered Miles.

Graham walked over to him. They stood near the entrance, speaking in hushed whispers. With each word, Snape appeared more and more sympathetic. He put his hand on Graham's shoulder. She heard Snape mention discussing something with him or Madam Pomfrey. He took him outside the common room. A few minutes later, Graham returned to the couches. His expression was unreadable. He sat down next to Adrian.

"What happened, Graham?" asked Pansy, curiously.

"They uh found my cousin Aria"

Aria kept her eyes on one of Blaise's quidditch magazines.

"The one who's been missing all this time? That's good, isn't it?"

"They found her _body_, Pansy"

"You mean…"

Graham nodded. He told them that the body had been found in a park close to her old home. An elderly couple spotted it in the ground and contacted the aurors. With a few spells, they were able to identify the body, despite it being a skeleton, as Aria. They assumed that after all this time, with years of erosion, the body was moved from its spot deep in the ground. Rufus Scrimgeur, the head auror, called in her aunt and grandparents to confirm the body at the Ministry. Her aunt was one of the only people to have seen Aria before her disappearance. When Scrimgeur used a spell to restore her body from its skeletal state, her aunt agreed that it was her. Her aunt had shown up to Hogwarts to tell Graham. She made arrangements to have Aria buried in the same plot as her mother.

"That's rough, mate. I'm sorry" said Adrian.

"I mean, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. She's been gone for five years...and she was eight at the time. How would an eight year old survive on her own? I just had this little hope that she might be alive. I thought she might have had her memory erased by her mother and she was found by some random family"

"How is your mother taking it?" said Daphne, concerned.

"She's really upset. She was crying a bit because she thought she had proof that Aria was alive. My uncle had been sending letters from Azkaban to someone and he only ever wrote to her and her mother. The aurors think he was just sending the letters to random locations to cope with losing them"

Aria stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Her aunt was a very good actress. Graham believed her pain to be real but Aria saw through the façade. She gripped a page of the magazine, hearing how her aunt lamented being unable to save her. Her grandparents were going to have a funeral for her in a few days. Graham looked saddened by the news.

"Did you even know her that well?" asked Draco.

"I met her once"

Aria glanced up from the magazine. She could not recall ever meeting Graham in person. He kept his eyes on the couch as he pulled on a loose thread.

"She was no older than three. My mother took us over to their house for a quick visit. She was talking to my aunt while we played around in the living room. Aria had this picture of her parents and she asked Evan about her father. He told her how he was an insane murderer and she got really upset so I calmed her down. I promised her that she'd get to see her dad out of Azkaban by the time she went to Hogwarts…but she didn't even make it that far"

Graham went up to the dormitories. Daphne pouted.

"He's really sad. We should go with him to the funeral…for support"

Suddenly, Aria felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She clutched her side.

"Aaron?"

"I'm going to go up to the hospital wing. I'm not feeling well"

"Do you want us to go with you?"

"No, I can manage"

Aria left the common room. She headed out of the castle. The full moon was shining high in the sky. It was like something tried to burst out of her. The pain in her body got worse. She leaned against an archway. It felt like her bones were breaking. She whimpered. Everything went black.

When she woke up the next morning, she found herself in the bushes on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Her clothes were ripped to near shreds, having large claw marks across her shirt, and she had deep scratches along her arms and legs. She noticed a few bite marks on her shoulders. As she touched her face, she felt something sticky. Her fingers were covered in blood.

With each breath, she felt a pain in her ribs. The sun shined down on her, making it difficult to see anything. A figure stood over her and lifted her up from the ground. It was Hagrid.

"Yeh'll be alrigh'. Don' move much"

He brought her to the hospital wing. Pomfrey panicked at the sight of her. Aria was laid down on a bed. Pomfrey waved her wand over Aria's body.

"Three cracked ribs, a few cuts and bruises…"

She went over to her potions cupboard. The door swung open and Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall entered the hospital wing, looking concerned.

"Mister Shaw" said McGonagall, clutching her chest.

"Aaron, are you alright?" asked Dumbledore.

She nodded. Pomfrey bustled over, holding a bottle of skele-gro. Aria grimaced. She forced her to drink some of it for her ribs. Dumbledore questioned her about last night. It was all a huge blur. She could only remember leaving the common room. After that, it was like her mind blocked out any sort of memory.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"I felt sick…and then I blacked out"

"The important thing is that you are safe"

Pomfrey handed her a vial of blue potion. "Drink this every two hours. I'd like you to stay here for the day so your ribs can fully heal"

Aria drank the potion, which instantly healed her cuts and bruises. Snape stayed behind while the other teachers left the hospital wing. Pomfrey conjured a tray onto the bed. She said that Aria just needed to imagine what she wanted and the food would appear in an instant. Aria had an intense craving for meat. Sausage, bacon, eggs, and steak appeared on the tray. She bit into the steak. Immediately, she spit it out, finding it too bland. She focused on the steak, making it more rare and juicy. The steak tasted much better. When she tried the eggs, she found herself craving more meat. She tore the steak with her teeth.

"Shaw, you can slow down"

"Sorry" she replied, her mouth full.

"I want to ask you more about that night. Did you see a wolf?"

"Sir, I told you. I only remember leaving the common room"

"Perhaps you heard it howl"

Aria shrugged. "Nope. You think I was attacked by a wolf?"

"It would explain the bite marks. After eating, get your rest"

He left the hospital wing. Aria kept eating, not feeling the least bit full. She had gone through six whole steaks. As she ate, she noticed the symbol on her pendant had changed. It now had a crescent moon in the middle of the three intertwining circles. She looked at the symbol, interested in what it meant…


	10. The Funeral

-Three days later- Snape had passed off Aria's stay in the hospital wing as a case of the stomach flu. Despite the harmless story, the girls acted as if she had been in a life-threatening accident. She now understood how Draco felt but she did take advantage of them. It took hours to convince the girls that she was not horribly injured or deathly ill. She assured them that it was most likely food poisoning from something she ate at dinner. After the full moon incident, Aria found herself craving meat at all times. It was hard for her to eat anything but meat. She would attempt to have vegetables and fruits but they all had a very bland or bitter taste. In between classes, she would go to the library to find information on the symbol on her pendant. She had no luck so far, unsure of what books to look at for interpretation.

Aria was laying on her bed, flipping through her ancient runes textbook. She had to read three chapters before her next lesson. As she skimmed the pages on symbols and their meanings, she spotted one that matched her pendant. Next to the symbol was one word, _shifter_. She decided to go to the library to find books about shifters. The door opened and Draco, Blaise, and Theodore entered the room.

"I don't see why we have to go. We didn't even know her" said Draco, annoyed.

"We almost got out of it until the girls told our mothers we would be there. We just have to sit through the boring service, pay our respects, and then we can leave. At least we didn't have to go to the actual burial" said Theodore.

He tossed a pair of dress shoes on his bed. "Aaron, aren't you getting dressed?"

"For what?"

"The funeral, remember?"

"Oh uh—I don't…I mean, I didn't really"

Draco grabbed a suit from the closet. "If I'm forced to go to this stupid thing, then you are, Shaw"

Aria put her book down on the bed. She had not planned on actually going to the funeral. It would be very awkward, considering it was for her. She changed into more formal attire. As she buttoned her shirt, she heard Blaise mention that the service was at her grandparents' home in Kent.

"I thought she was being buried in London…with her mother. That's where their house was, right?"

"Graham said his grandparents changed their minds. They didn't want to taint his cousin's memory by associating her with her mother. There was this article in the _Daily Prophet_. They said that she was a Collins to the end and should be buried with the Collins family"

Aria nodded, attempting to maintain her composure. Her grandparents were taking advantage of the situation. They put on this little act for the press, pretending that they cared about her. In reality, they were celebrating that they had gotten rid of both her and her mother. Once they got dressed, they went down to the common room. The girls were sitting on the couches. Pansy took out a few portkeys sent from her mother. Aria picked up an old soup can. In an instant, she disappeared from the common room.

They landed outside of a lavish manor. Pansy was holding onto Draco's arm. He did not show any interest in being at the funeral.

"Draco, be polite"

"I don't see why they're having one for her. She's been dead for 5 years. Move on"

Aria's fists clenched in her pockets. She followed them into the manor, hiding her necklace under her shirt. It was packed with people, none that she recognized. Most of them appeared to be Ministry officials. A picture had been propped up on a table. It showed an eight year old Aria smiling. Her aunt must have gotten it from her mother's belongings. Graham was with his family. She had met the twins, Rebekah and Alec, through Hogwarts. They were second years in Slytherin. Both tended to be very shy. Since her time at Hogwarts, she barely heard full sentences from them. They had a close relationship, rarely being seen without one another. Graham often teased them for barely being Slytherin material.

His older sister Victoria was her aunt in miniature. She had an uptight appearance. His older brother Ethan possessed a similar demeanor, rarely showing any emotion. Blaise claimed that Ethan had a reputation for being interested in dark magic. Ethan would sometimes toy with muggles as some kind of game for his amusement. Her uncle Grant stood next to Elyse, looking extremely arrogant and pompous. He was very good-looking for his age and had a strong muscular build. She had never seen him in person but heard stories about him from her mother.

According to her, Grant was a soulless monster. He could hurt an innocent person and show no remorse. He worked as the head advisor to Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Even from a distance, Aria got bad vibes from him and knew he could be trouble. People kept coming up to them, offering their condolences. Her aunt dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. Aria followed the other Slytherins over to Graham.

"We're very sorry for your loss, Mrs. Montague. I can't imagine what you must be feeling" said Tracey.

"Thank you, Tracey. That's very kind of you"

She looked at Aria. "I'm sorry. Have we met?"

Aria was glad that her aunt did not remember their encounter in the Ministry. Graham introduced her. Rebekah and Alec greeted her shyly, Victoria scrunched her nose, and her uncle simply gave a curt nod. Ethan was staring at her, his arms crossed. She doubted that he could recognize her. Thankfully, her grandfather called everyone into the ballroom. He was a middle-aged man with graying ebony hair and warm dark brown eyes. Despite his kind appearance, Aria knew the truth about her grandfather. He was manipulative and good at masking his emotions. She went into the ballroom. It was filled with pictures of Aria from her mother's albums. She stayed by the doorway.

"Aaron, aren't you coming?" asked Daphne.

"I uh kind of don't like funerals. I went to one for my grandmother when I was little and—being here brings those memories back. I'd rather just wait here"

"I can stay with you"

"No. You can sit with the others. I'll be fine"

Aria leaned against the doorway. Her grandfather stood behind a podium.

"I want to thank you all for being here. Five years ago, my granddaughter had gone missing after her mother regrettably took her own life. Even after the aurors gave up their search, my wife Olivia and I continued to hope that we would see her again. We got our wish…but it is under grim circumstances"

She could see Rebekah sniffling into a tissue. Her uncle shot her a stern look.

"Stop your sniveling, Rebekah"

"I—I'm sad, Daddy"

"This is not how a Montague behaves. You look weak"

Rebekah wiped at her eyes and struggled to not cry. Aria glared at her uncle. He was reprimanding his own daughter for showing sympathy like a normal person.

"Aria's death is on her mother's hands. I reached out to Clare many times to come out of hiding and be with her only family. Clare was unstable and many knew that Aria would suffer in that toxic environment. I was too late to save her and that is why we are here today"

As she listened to people give small speeches, she felt like bashing their faces into the walls. Some of them had never even met Aria yet claimed that they had seen her suffering under her mother's care and had wished they could have taken her somewhere safe. Her aunt stood up to give a speech. Aria knew she would lose it if she heard one word. She walked around the manor. There were no portraits of her father, only Elyse or her grandparents. It was as if he never existed. As she went up to the second floor, she heard crying. Her grandmother was sitting on a bed, holding a picture frame.

"Are you okay?"

She jumped at the sound of Aria's voice. "Oh, I apologize, dear. You shouldn't see me in this state. I know I should be downstairs but I can't listen to those people reminisce about my granddaughter"

The picture showed her father as a child. He waved at them through the frame.

"You know, I never even met her. We're having this big service for someone I never met. I never got to hold her…give her presents…kiss her cuts to make her feel better when she fell while playing. After my son's arrest, my husband could not be associated with them. I wanted to see her and her mother so badly but I was too much of a coward to disobey him"

Aria was silent. She had not expected to see anyone in her family this upset. Her grandmother had wanted to help her but she did not have the strength to do it.

"I blame myself. If I had been there for them, they would still be alive. I loved Clare. She was a wonderful girl who made my son happy…and I would have loved Aria just as much"

She put the frame down on the nightstand. "This was his old room. Caleb wanted to tear it down but I couldn't let him. He's still my little boy. I went to Azkaban to tell him the news. He wouldn't believe me. He insisted that she was alive. That place has made him lose his mind. He hates me"

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Mrs. Collins. Sometimes, things happen and they're out of our control. I'm sure he doesn't hate you. It's hard news for him to comprehend"

"Gran, here you are"

Ethan entered the room. He told her that her grandfather wanted her downstairs. Her grandmother stood up and smiled at Aria.

"Thank you for listening. You're a very sweet boy"

She left the room. Ethan turned to her, glaring.

"What were you doing in here?"

"Your grandmother was upset. I was comforting her"

"What's your name again? Adam?"

"Aaron"

"There's something weird about you"

She noticed that he had a necklace similar to hers. It had the same symbol with the intertwining circles and crescent moon.

"That's a cool necklace. What's that symbol?"

Ethan looked at the necklace. "Just some family crest. My grandfather gave it to me when I turned 13. Shouldn't you be with the other brats?"

Aria nodded. She waited for him to leave the room. Once he had gone down the staircase, she searched her father's room for any clues. She dug through his closet. A shoebox fell from the top shelf. Its contents spilled onto the floor. She found a journal and a small video camera. The journal had his name written on the front and a drawing of the family crest in the corner. She used magic to fix up the room and went downstairs, hiding the journal and camera in her suit pocket. Adrian was leaving the ballroom.

"Aaron, you feeling all right? You disappeared"

"I think that flu's coming back. I'm going to leave early"

"Don't think this gets you out of quidditch practice later"

"Of course not. I'll see you there"

Using the portkey, she returned to the castle. She went into her room and locked the door. Flipping through the journal, she found a page marked with the crest in the top corner.

_December 28, 1_992

_It's the first full moon since my 13__th__ birthday. My father tells me not to be frightened. This has been in my family for generations since the 1100s. He sees it as a gift, given to one of our ancestors by a powerful witch as a reward for saving her life. I don't see how it's a reward. To me, it's a curse. My family on my father's side is able to shift their form. It's triggered by this first full moon and from there, it's uncontrolled. My mother keeps assuring me that I'll be able to control my transformations with proper training so I don't hurt anyone. Elyse is not being helpful. She went through the curse years ago. She thinks it will take me years before I can control my transformation. I'm sitting in the basement for protection, waiting for it to happen. I want to document it so I know what I become since my father told me that blackouts are common. My first few times, I will have no recollection of what happens from the time I shift until the time I change back to my normal self. _

Aria turned on the video camera, playing the most recent video. The screen showed a dark basement. She saw her father at 13 years old. He was locking shackles around his legs.

"These are supposed to keep me in place. Just in case I break free, Dad put strong security charms on all exits to the basement so I can't get out of here. Elyse is upstairs if I need help. She keeps trying to scare me about this transformation"

Aria moved the video forward. She stopped it, seeing her father clutch his side. He cried out in pain and fell to the floor.

"Elyse! Elyse, help me!"

Her aunt did not go down to the basement. His screams got worse. Aria watched the video, tears filling her eyes. His body contorted and she could hear bones breaking. Looking into the camera, his eyes changed to a golden color. The camera fell on its side. He rested on his knees, panting heavily. Her eyes widened as he slowly turned into a wolf. He gnawed at his shoulder, ripping the black fur. She remembered the bite marks on her shoulders after the full moon. Aria made the video go faster, watching him scratch at the walls and bite at himself. A rabbit had been thrown into the basement. She assumed it was from Elyse. Her father tore it to shreds. She closed the camera and returned to the journal.

_December 29, 1992_

_Last night was the worst pain imaginable. I woke up with no recollection of what happened. Some of my bones were broken and I was covered in bite marks. My father says that the first night is the least pain. Every transformation will get worse until I learn proper control. He warned me to be careful since they could happen at anytime, especially if I am feeling strong emotions. I am going to learn control as soon as possible. I can't risk hurting Clare._

Aria continued to read his entries. He mentioned how he learned to control his transformations. It was not going to be easy. He talked about his meat cravings and how the curse gave him increased strength and speed, heightened senses and reflexes, and healing capabilities. Unlike a werewolf, their transformations could be done at will. Once he had proper control of his shifting abilities, the full moon had little effect on him, except for making him stronger. Another entry mentioned hiding his transformations at Hogwarts through the help of a friend.

She went up to the second floor. Reaching the end of the corridor, she knocked on a door. As it opened, she saw Lupin.

"Aaron, what are you"

"I know you're a werewolf"

"E—excuse me?"

"Don't deny it. I know it's true…but if you want me to keep your secret, you need to do something for me"

She entered his office. He shut the door quietly. Grabbing two cups, he poured some tea.

"Why would you think I am a werewolf?"

"Because your boggart is a full moon. These other idiots think you're scared of crystal balls. I'm not that stupid. Also, there are…other things that tell me you are one"

"What do you want from me, Aaron?"

"You're going to help me like you helped my dad when he was my age"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're"

"I put disguising charms on myself. I'm the daughter of Aaron Collins"

He dropped the tea kettle. Tea spilled onto the rug. He looked at her. She showed her necklace.

"A—Aria? You're…they found your body. You just had a funeral"

"I faked my death. My aunt knew I was writing to my father and I needed to keep her from finding me"

"How—why have you been posing as a boy this entire time? Where have you been all these years?"

"Hiding from death eaters. I know Voldemort's gone but they're still out there. They killed my mother. I didn't know who I could trust. My dad had a journal and he mentioned that you helped him control his transformations"

He sighed. "Your family's curse has enacted. That's why Severus accused me of attacking you"

"He knows…about you?"

Lupin nodded. He told her that only Snape, Madam Pomfrey, and Dumbledore were aware of him being a werewolf. Snape learned about his condition during their years at Hogwarts. Lupin made her sit down. He gave her one of the cups.

"Aria, I promise to help you. There's no reason to worry"

"Thanks"

"What happens when this act doesn't work anymore? When people realize you are not really dead?"

"One problem at a time, professor"

Lupin chuckled softly. "Just like your father"

She sipped the tea as Lupin described how they would handle the transformations…


	11. Sirius Black

-A month later- Ever since exposing her identity to Lupin, they spent a lot of time together. The Slytherins got suspicious, wondering why she kept visiting his office. Aria made up a lie that Lupin was teaching her advanced DADA lessons since she showed an aptitude for the subject. Draco would mock her for being a teacher's pet. She met up with Lupin three times a week, mostly at night. They would go to the Shrieking Shack through a secret passage in the Whomping Willow. The Shrieking Shack was a house in Hogsmeade, considered to be haunted by ghosts. It turned out that the supposed ghosts were just Lupin and her father's screams and howls during their transformations. Dumbledore never knew that her father or anyone on his side of the family could turn into a wolf. Lupin would sneak him down to the Shrieking Shack with him before her father had complete control over his shifting ability. After that, her father would help Lupin on the full moons to prevent him from hurting anyone in the village.

Part of the training to control her wolf form was to shift multiple times. She had to repeatedly change from human to wolf and back, constantly breaking every bone in her body. Lupin explained that once the transformation was painless, she would be able to shift at will, no longer controlled by the full moon. Even when she learned control, she still needed to keep herself from getting very emotional. He claimed that even shifters with the best control could lose it if they became too angry or upset. The constant shifting was difficult for her. At times, she would beg to stop for the night but Lupin pushed her through the pain.

Aria and Lupin were in the Shrieking Shack. Everyone else was at breakfast in the Great Hall. Sunlight streamed through the windows covered with shoddy wooden boards. Her arms and legs were chained down to the floor to keep her from escaping the room. Aria had just gone through her tenth transformation this morning. She panted heavily, staying on her knees. The golden blonde fur on her arms slowly vanished. Lupin gave her a bottled water. She drank the entire bottle in one sip and it magically replenished.

"I think we can take a little break. You're making great progress, Aria"

"What was it like for my dad?"

"Very painful. It isn't an easy task. He told me that some shifters can take years to master control but he wanted it as soon as possible…so he wouldn't hurt your mother"

"I was reading his journal again. He said my grandfather tried to get him to attack people"

Lupin sat in a rickety chair. "It's true. You'll get very intense cravings for meat and some shifters and werewolves use humans as their source. Your father was very against it. He would only attack small animals. Your aunt taunted him about it, saying animal blood made him weak"

"My aunt's a bitch. She's the reason I'll never see my dad. She's keeping him locked up on purpose"

"I am not surprised. Elyse and your father had a horrible relationship when they were younger. You may not believe this but your grandfather favored him. He thought your father was destined for greatness but that ended when he did not side with Voldemort. I promise you will see your father out of Azkaban. Have you written to him?"

Aria shook her head. She stopped sending letters to her father after her fake funeral. It was a precaution in case Elyse continued to read his outgoing mail. During their short breaks, Lupin would tell her stories about her father and his time at Hogwarts. He mentioned how even as a first year, he would stand up to the older Slytherins, not letting them bully his friends. After resting for a few minutes, Aria started her transformations again. Each one hurt more than the last. She closed her eyes, thinking about her parents. As she felt her body contort and fur covered her body, there was no pain. She changed back into herself.

"I didn't feel anything"

Lupin smiled. "That is excellent. I suppose we won't need these lessons anymore. Remember what I told you. If you ever feel a great deal of anger…"

"Take slow, deep breaths to calm myself down"

She hugged him. "Thank you. I don't know how I'd do this if you didn't help me, professor"

He glanced at his watch. With breakfast almost over, they decided to head up to the castle. Today was the first trip to Hogsmeade. Only students in third year and above could go to the village. She had forged her mother's signature on the permission form. Ever since the announcement for the trip in the common room weeks ago, everyone had been talking about Hogsmeade. The third years were the most excited since it would be their first time there. She headed down to the dungeons. Some of the Slytherins were heading out of the common room.

"Aaron, you're going the wrong way" said Tracey.

"I have to help out Snape with that potion"

"You're not missing Hogsmeade, are you?"

"No. I'll meet you guys there. It shouldn't take long"

"Meet us at the Three Broomsticks"

Aria nodded, giving them a small wave. She opened the door to the Potions classroom. Snape was measuring stacking vials on a rack.

"Right on time, Shaw. The potion is almost complete. Just a few more ingredients and ten minutes to let it simmer"

They had been working on a wolfsbane potion. Though Snape did not tell her what it was, she had figured it out from looking in her potions book. She assumed it was meant for Lupin. The full moon would be arriving soon. She pretended to be clueless with Snape, just following his instructions. Using a mortar and pestle, she crushed the wolfsbane plant into a fine powder. She poured it into the cauldron. It began to emit blue smoke. She grimaced at the strange odor. Snape peered into the cauldron.

"Good work, Shaw. I don't teach this potion to my NEWT students until the end of their 7th year. None of them have been able to make a solution as good as this…though I will admit most of my students lack intelligence"

"You know, sir, most kids think you're a bitter old bat who just hates everyone and everything"

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Do they?"

"I think they just can't handle your brutal honesty. I find it funny. I appreciate that you don't sugarcoat things. Everyone here thinks the real world is a bright, sunny place but truthfully, it sucks"

"A very interesting observation, Shaw"

"Guess I see through the smoke and mirrors. They're in for a rude awakening when they're no longer pampered by their mommies and daddies"

After waiting for ten minutes, Snape poured some of the potion into a goblet. He told her to bring it to Lupin, lying that he was feeling ill lately. She went up to Lupin's office. As she opened the door, she saw Lupin and Harry sitting by his desk, drinking tea. She walked over to them.

"Hello, Aaron. Is that from Professor Snape?"

She put the goblet down. "Yes, professor. We just finished it. If you need anymore, just go see him. We made an entire cauldronful"

Harry was staring at her. He had a mistrustful expression in his eyes.

"Aaron has been helping Professor Snape make some advanced potions. I hear he is very adept at potion-making"

"You shouldn't talk to me like a normal person, sir. Potter thinks that Slytherins like me are evil monsters incapable of any compassion or decency"

"Ah, I see. Well, I was just showing Harry my grindylow"

"I had no idea he played for that team. I should have suspected since he and Ron are always together. Spending all that time with one person can lead to something more. No judgment here" she teased.

Harry glared. Lupin let out a soft chuckle. He pointed at a large tank in the corner. Inside was a pale green creature with sharp horns and long, spindly fingers. It had its face pressed against the glass. Aria walked over to the tank and tapped on the glass. The grindylow snarled. She made funny faces at it.

"Aaron, I wouldn't antagonize it. It may remember you when we tackle it in class"

"I've seen scarier things. Clearly, you've never seen Draco Malfoy when he first gets out of bed. It's a face only a mother could love…"

"Enjoy your time at Hogsmeade"

"Thanks, sir"

She heard that Harry could not go to Hogsmeade since his aunt and uncle never signed his permission form. It explained why he was hanging out with Lupin. She patted his cheek.

"Don't smack your grindylow too hard when you're alone" she whispered.

Aria went down to Hogsmeade. There were shops on either side of the street, extending all the way down the path. She found the Three Broomsticks, a pub. It had a very warm and friendly atmosphere. An arm linked through hers and turning her head, she saw Daphne. She brought Aria over to a back table. The other Slytherins were sitting around, drinking butterbeers.

"Here you are. Snape let his favorite student out to have fun?" joked Blaise.

Aria playfully glared. She grabbed one of the mugs.

"Least I don't make him want to pull out his hair every Potions class"

"He just needs to accept that I am a hopeless case"

Draco and Pansy were missing from the table. She was sure that they had gone off by themselves for privacy. After spending about an hour, they left the pub. They checked out other shops in the village, including a quidditch shop and Honeyduke's, a shop filled with sweets. Daphne kept insisting that they go to Madam Puddifoot's tea shop. Aria had a feeling that they were not going for the tea.

"Isn't that place for couples?" asked Theodore, confused.

"And possibly future couples" replied Daphne.

She squeezed Aria's arm. Daphne was really trying her patience. Soon enough, Aria would reach her breaking point. She did not know how to stop Daphne's flirting without hurting her feelings. This was one of the downsides to acting like a guy. Tracey wanted to go into a clothing store for girls called Aphrodite's. Blaise groaned, not wanting to watch them spend hours trying on clothes.

"It's either that or sipping tea" whispered Theodore.

"Fine. We'll go into the stupid shop but we're not spending more than ten minutes in there"

"You can help me in the dressing room, Blaise" said Tracey, flirtatiously.

"Fine, twenty"

Aria rolled her eyes. As they walked towards the shop, she spotted something in the alley. Draco was kissing a girl that looked nothing like Pansy. She recognized her as Lisa Turpin, an olive-skinned third year Ravenclaw with wavy raven-black hair. Aria did not know her well but had seen her in class. Lisa was a very smart girl but lacked common sense. She tended to be a bit boy crazy. Aria noticed that she was one of the girls in her year that fawned over Draco. Theodore distracted the girls by saying that they would get them hot chocolates from the tea shop. Blaise chucked a rock at the back of Draco's head. He pulled away from Lisa.

Seeing them, she blushed and left the alley. Draco rubbed his head.

"Way to ruin that, Blaise"

"The girls almost saw you so you're welcome. Where's Pansy?"

"In that girly shop. I told her I had to send a quick letter to my dad"

"You and Turpin? When did that happen?"

"About twenty minutes ago"

"Well as fun as it is to hear about how you are spreading STDs one pathetic girl at a time, I think you should go see your girlfriend before she gets suspicious" said Aria.

She flicked her wand, conjuring a tray of hot chocolates. They went into the boutique. It was extremely girly with pink walls and frilly designs. The guys looked disgusted.

"This is how one of my nightmares start…" said Blaise.

Aria saw Daphne, Tracey, Pansy, and Millicent arguing with a blonde girl in her mid 20s with a bad spray tan. The guy next to her looked like a Ken doll. Pansy and the girl were in a tug of war with a floral printed mini dress. The girl snatched it, smirking. Annoyed, they walked over to Aria and the guys. They wanted to leave the shop.

"What happened?" asked Goyle.

"That bitch took my dress. I had it first. It wouldn't even look cute on her"

"Forget it. You can find something better" said Aria.

She gave them the hot chocolates. Pansy still looked upset. Draco did not even comfort her. He honestly needed to get lessons on being a good boyfriend. Aria grabbed her arm, taking her over to a rack of dresses. The girl was close by, showing off the dress to her boyfriend. As they passed the couple, she pretended to trip, spilling hot chocolate on the girl's blouse. The girl panicked about the stain.

"You little brat!"

"I am really sorry. My laces were untied and I can be a bit clumsy. That stain looks bad. If you ask me, your obviously closeted boyfriend will come out before that does. By the way, that dress clashes horribly with your orange skin"

Her fists clenched. Pansy stifled a laugh. Aria took her out of the shop.

"You did that on purpose, Aaron"

"Why would you think that? My laces were untied"

"They were not"

Pansy hugged her. "Thank you. That was really sweet"

Suddenly, Aria was lifted up by the back of her shirt. The girl's boyfriend had her in a tight grip. He glared harshly.

"You're not getting away with that, you punk"

"I'm shaking. Plastic Ken is going to beat me up" she said, sarcastically.

"No one talks about my girlfriend like that. Apologize"

"I think your girlfriend should apologize to everyone here for blinding us with her hideous tan"

Aria slid her wand under her sleeve. The guy raised his fist. She jabbed her wand into his stomach. He winced, letting go of her. She waved her wand, turning him into a dog. Conjuring a tennis ball, she chucked it down the path and watched the dog chase after it. The girl followed him, yelling his name.

"Bloody hell, Aaron. Remind me to never pick a fight with you. I didn't even see you take out your wand" said Blaise, shaking his head.

Around dinnertime, they returned to the castle. The Halloween feast was very amusing. As they ate, bats flew over their heads and carved pumpkins floated in the air. The ghosts provided some entertainment. Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, did a reenactment of his beheading, getting a response of loud laughter and cheers. They hung around the common room, playing games and eating tons of candy. Lying that she was going to see Lupin, she left the castle. She wanted to test her transformation to see if it would still be painless. Standing by the lake, she closed her eyes. She glanced down, seeing herself reflected in the water. Her wolf form had golden blonde fur with bright blue eyes. Her father's journal mentioned that sometimes, her eyes could turn a golden color. For fun, she ran through the Forbidden forest. Being a wolf gave her this inner freedom. She liked feeling the wind rush through her fur.

As she left the forest, she could hear voices inside the castle. McGonagall told someone that Sirius Black had broken into the castle. He attacked the Fat Lady's portrait, which was the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. It was badly slashed and the Fat Lady ran off, hiding in another portrait. Aria immediately thought of Harry. She did not understand how Black slipped past the dementors. Snape ordered students into the Great Hall to spend the night while the teachers searched the castle. Her enhanced abilities from her wolf form were useful, allowing her to catch an unfamiliar scent. She followed it over to the greenhouses. A large black dog was hiding in the shrubs. Bits of canvas stuck to one of its front paws. She found herself growling at the dog. Her eyes widened when it changed shape.

The dog was replaced by a tall man with a gaunt face, long, matted ebony hair, and hollow grey eyes. His body resembled a skeleton. It looked like he had not eaten properly in months. She knew this was Sirius Black. His picture had been on the cover of the _Daily Prophet_ every single day. He appeared to be even more manic in person. She continued to growl, rearing back on her hind legs. To her confusion, he smiled, revealing yellow teeth. His hand patted the top of her head.

"I thought I'd find you like this, Aria. There's no reason to be frightened of me. I'd never hurt you"

Reluctantly, she changed back into herself. She took out her wand, pointing it at him.

"Going to turn me into the dementors?"

"Give me one reason not to…"

"I haven't attacked you, have I? Here"

Sirius took a knife out of his pants pocket. He tossed it over to her.

"See? I'm unarmed"

"Or maybe you're just waiting for me to trust you and then you'll kill me"

"If I wanted to kill you, don't you think you'd be dead?"

"How did you know the wolf was me?"

He chuckled. "Your eyes. I couldn't forget them. I still remember looking into them when I held you as a baby. I was friends with your parents"

She saw some of the professors searching the grounds. He told her to follow him to the Forbidden Forest. Reluctantly, she went with him. She kept her wand at her side, ready to hex him if necessary. They hid in a secluded part of the forest.

"I'm not going to let you kill Harry"

"I'm not here to kill Harry. I was framed all those years ago…just like your father. Your mother knew I was innocent. She tried to get your aunt to help with my case but Elyse always hated me. She loved seeing me rot in Azkaban"

"You could be lying. Prove it"

"Read my thoughts. I knew Clare very well and as soon as you showed signs of magic, she would've started to teach you legilimency and occlumency"

Aria looked into his eyes. Images filled of her head, showing a young Sirius speaking with a guy who looked very much like Harry and a girl with fiery red hair. He urged them to make someone named Peter the secretkeeper for the Fidelius charm on their house. The scene changed to watching him perform some kind of charm between Harry's father and a small guy who reminded her of a rat with his watery eyes and pointed nose. Sirius called him Peter Pettigrew. The next scene was of a disheveled house and Sirius going after Peter, accusing him of betraying the Potters to Voldemort. Peter caused a huge explosion in the middle of the street. As the smoke cleared, there were numerous dead bodies and a single finger.

Aria got out of his head. Sirius explained that Harry's parents had gone into hiding from Voldemort. They used a Fidelius charm to disguise their house. Sirius was the original secret keeper but he thought it would be too obvious since he was extremely close with Harry's father James. Instead, they secretly switched it to Peter. Sirius claimed that Peter had been working secretly with the death eaters. He faked his death and used it to frame Sirius for what happened to the Potters.

"Peter made this big spectacle. He knew the aurors were listening and shouted how I betrayed James and Lily. Aria, I am not lying to you. You saw my memories"

"Let's say I believe you. Why are you at Hogwarts?"

"For Pettigrew. He's here"

Sirius showed her a newspaper clipping. There was a picture of the Weasleys from their trip in Egypt. He pointed to Scabbers.

"You think Pettigrew…is a rat"

"Your father wasn't the only one helping Lupin during the full moon. James, Peter, and I became animagi. We were their best friends. I was a dog, James was a stag, and Peter was a rat. Look at his paw. He's missing a toe"

"He only left a finger behind…" she said in realization.

Sirius nodded. "I need to get him. It's why I tried to get in the common room. I didn't mean to scare the Fat Lady…I just got frustrated. You can help me. If we get Peter, we can prove my innocence and I have a way to get your father out of Azkaban"

"There's a little problem. Harry hates me for being in Slytherin but I might be able to use a friend of his to get Scabbers…well, Peter"

"You're in Slytherin?" he asked, confused.

"I made the hat put me there. Lucius Malfoy killed my mother and if I'm stuck here, I'm going to make his son's a living hell for all the shit his father has put me through all those years ago"

"Who's there?" she heard.

He told her he would be hiding in Hogsmeade. If she wanted to talk to him, she could find him in one of the back alleys. He turned back into a dog. Aria cast the disguising charms and left the forest. A light shined in her face. Cedric put his wand down.

"Aaron, are you insane? Why are you out here?"

"I had to get some herbs for Snape. What's going on?"

"Sirius Black broke into the castle"

She feigned surprise. He led her into the Great Hall. Percy reprimanded her for sneaking around the grounds. The Great Hall was filled with sleeping bags. There was an empty one next to Hermione. Aria walked over to her. She was having a quiet conversation with Ron and Harry about Sirius. Both guys glared at Aria.

"You can't sleep there, Shaw" said Ron.

"I don't see your name on the bag. Shouldn't you be busy petting Potter's grindylow?"

"Shut up!"

"If you yell again, it's fifty points from Gryffindor" Penelope Clearwater, the Head Girl, hissed at Harry.

Harry scowled. Aria pretended to lock her mouth with a key. She laid down in the sleeping bag. Hermione gave her an apologetic look.

"So what are you three talking about?" she asked as Penelope chastised a group of fifth year girls.

Scabbers was on top of Ron's pillow. Knowing his true identity, Aria found it very creepy to see that rat sleeping with Ron.

"We were talking about how Black got into the castle" said Hermione.

"Maybe he can turn into a dog"

"You're an idiot" said Harry, rudely.

Hermione glared at him. Aria merely shrugged.

"I don't know why you're so rude to me, Potter. I have done nothing bad to you. I mean, I guess it was downright evil that I returned Neville's toad on the first night. Someone call dark wizard headquarters. They've got a new member"

"You think you're so smart, don't you?"

"I know I'm smart. If you deflated some of your ego, you might have room for a brain. Or maybe, we can follow the yellowbrick road and ask the Wizard of Oz for one. Weasley definitely needs the courage. Hermione would be Glinda"

"So you're the tin man without a heart?" he retorted.

"I always fancied myself as one of those cool flying monkeys"

Hermione let out a small giggle. Harry scoffed and turned away from her. While everyone started to fall asleep, Aria laid her head down on her pillow, watching Scabbers…


	12. The Fight

-Four days later- Sirius's break-in at Hogwarts had caused the entire school to go into a panic. In between classes, students would discuss numerous theories about how he entered the castle, ranging from the plausible to the absurd. Some believed that he simply apparated into the castle despite the fact that the grounds were protected by anti-apparation charms. One of the stranger theories came from a Hufflepuff girl, who claimed he could turn into a tree. Aria was one of the only people not worried about Sirius. Knowing the truth, she focused her attention on grabbing Scabbers. It proved difficult since he was always in the Gryffindor common room. Aria attempted to get in there through her friendship with Hermione but she did not want Aria to get in a fight with Harry and Ron.

With the quidditch season starting up, Aria was excited for her first match. Draco continued to play up his arm injury, meaning she would take his place as seeker. Her excitement was deflated when Flint announced that he got Madam Hooch to switch the match-ups. Instead of Slytherin, Gryffindor would be playing Hufflepuff. Flint used Draco's injury as an excuse. Aria was annoyed, knowing that he did not want to play in the heavy storm conditions.

She had just left the dungeons, heading for the Great Hall. Cedric was entering the castle through one of the archways. His hair was soaking wet and disheveled. He wiped his face with his hand.

"Hey Cedric"

Cedric smiled. "Hey. I was just checking the quidditch pitch before the match. It's nasty out there"

"Sorry you have to play. Flint's being a git"

"Don't worry about it. I was prepared for one of his underhanded schemes"

"Well I hope you win. You should try faking Potter out during the match. When he thinks he sees the snitch, he uses that _Nimbus_ to his advantage and puts on a big burst of speed"

"I'll remember that. Thanks"

She went into the Great Hall. A few Slytherins were heckling the Gryffindor team. Aria sat across from Flint. He looked up from his plate.

"Don't start"

"This isn't fair. I can play"

"You want to play in this weather, Shaw? Are you blind?"

"Can I just say something? It's not about the match. It's about Malfoy. I don't think he should be seeker"

"Give me a reason why"

"I'll give you three. One, I'm a lot better than him. You said I had the fastest time finding the snitch at the try-outs. Two, you and I both know that his arm is fine. He's just whining for attention and he hasn't been to one practice while I have been there and even went through your insane extra practices late at night. Three, the only reason you put him on the team last year is because he bought those _Nimbus 2001s_"

Flint stared at her for a few minutes. He muttered that he would think about it. After breakfast, they headed out to the quidditch pitch. Aria started to think that Flint had a good idea in getting Slytherin out of this match. It was raining so heavily that it was hard to see anything and the strong winds almost knocked people to the ground. After a few minutes, they managed to get into the stands. The girls shivered beside her, clutching their coats to their bodies. They had zipped their coats all the way up, covering their mouths. The only visible parts of them were their eyes and noses. Aria conjured four jars. She placed bluebell flames inside the jars and handed one to each girl. Tracey sighed with relief.

"Thanks, Aaron. It's way too cold out here"

"What are we, chopped liver?" asked Blaise.

Aria conjured more jars with flames. She could see the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teams walking onto the pitch. After Oliver and Cedric shook hands, the teams rose into the air. With Madam Hooch's whistle, the game started. Aria kept her eyes out for the snitch. When she spotted it, it would disappear a few seconds later, disguised by the rain. She could only imagine how Cedric and Harry were struggling to see it in this weather. Gryffindor gained an early lead, scoring fifty points. She found the snitch again, fluttering high above the stands. Cedric was flying towards it. Harry followed after him. They were neck and neck, attempting to gain a lead over the other. Daphne tugged on her sleeve. She looked frightened.

Following her gaze, Aria saw a hundred dementors on the pitch, just below Harry. Aria remembered how just one dementor affected him on the train. Harry slid off the side of his broom. Thinking quickly, Aria took out her wand and used a spell to slow him down so he did not get seriously injured. He landed softly on the ground. With another flick of her wand, she conjured her patronus and used it to drive away the dementors. Once they disappeared from the pitch, she left the stands. The Gryffindors and the professors were surrounding Harry. He looked unconscious. Dumbledore conjured a stretcher under Harry, which lifted him into the air. He assured the Gryffindors that Harry would make a full recovery. Aria watched Dumbledore bring him up to the castle.

The professors insisted that everyone return to their common rooms. Cedric landed on the ground, holding the snitch. He had a guilty expression on his face. Going over to Madam Hooch, he asked for a rematch when Harry was feeling better. She denied his request, telling him that he won the match fairly. Aria was caught off guard by a brown blur. Hermione hugged her. She had tears in her eyes.

"Aaron, thank goodness you used that spell. Harry could've…I don't even want to think about it"

"He'll be all right. He just needs some rest"

"Come with me to the hospital wing. Ron went up with the team"

"I think I'm the last person he wants to see"

"You saved his life, Aaron. He should at least thank you for that"

Hermione dragged her up to the hospital wing. Harry was sitting in a bed, his head resting against his knees. Fred gripped his shoulder. He told Harry that no one blamed him for losing the match. Madam Pomfrey ushered the team out of the room. Hermione brought Aria over to his bed. Ron's eyes narrowed.

"What's he doing here?"

"Ron, that's enough. I'm getting tired of you hating Aaron for no reason. If it wasn't for him, Harry could've broken his legs or worse"

Harry looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"While you were falling, Aaron slowed you down so you didn't smash into the ground and he drove off the dementors. Don't you want to say something to him?"

"No"

Hermione grabbed a pillow from an empty bed. She smacked Harry over the head a few times. He covered his head.

"Hermione, stop"

"You both are going to stop being so ridiculous. I don't care that Aaron is in Slytherin and you shouldn't either. He hasn't done anything wrong. He helped you, Harry"

Harry remained silent. Aria was not going to pressure him to be thankful for her help or apologize to her. He and Ron wanted to continue to act like stubborn children.

"It's fine, Hermione. I'm going to go back to my common room. I know it means nothing to you but I'm glad you're okay, Harry"

Aria went down to the dungeons. When she entered the common room, she was surprised to see everyone partying. The seventh years had snuck in crates of firewhiskey from a shop in Hogsmeade. She walked over to Blaise and Theodore.

"What's going on?"

Theodore handed her a bottle of butterbeer. "Celebrating that Gryffindor lost. There's no way they'll win the Cup now. Bet Wood's crying in the locker room"

Draco had finally taken off the sling on his arm. He kept imitating Harry falling off of his broom. Aria's fists clenched as Slytherins laughed at his impression. Flint waved her over to him by one of the tables. He got Draco's attention.

"We need to talk. Draco, you and Aaron are switching positions"

Draco looked at him, confused. "Switching?"

"You're the reserve seeker now"

Aria suppressed a smirk. She acted surprised by Flint's announcement. Draco chuckled.

"Is this a joke, Flint?"

"No. When I put you on the team last year, I told you to take it seriously. You haven't been to a single practice. I let it slide after that hippogriff attack for the first few weeks"

"Flint, my arm's been injured. I"

"You still could've come to practice. If we're going to win, I need someone committed to the team. Aaron's our best shot at winning. That's my final say. Glad your arm's feeling better"

Flint went up to the dormitories with Jenna, another seventh year. Draco glared daggers at Aria. If looks could kill, she would be beaten into a bloody mess. She smiled innocently.

"You did this. You planted that idea in his head. What are you playing at, Shaw?"

"I didn't tell Flint anything"

"You're doing this on purpose. What did I ever do to you?"

Aria felt herself tense up slightly. She shrugged.

"Look, I'm sorry. Flint's the captain, not me. I didn't mean to take your spot"

"You're not taking my spot. You're going to be with Potter in the hospital wing"

He threw a punch at her. Aria grabbed his fist. She squeezed his hand, feeling the bones begin to crack. He struggled against her grip. She pushed him into the table. Not wanting to fight, she walked away from him. A spell brushed past her ear. It struck the wall, creating a burn mark. She turned around to see Draco holding his wand. His eyes gleamed with anger. Everyone else in the common room was silent. Pansy tugged on Draco's sleeve, begging him not to fight. He ignored her. Aria scoffed.

"You really want to play this little game again, Malfoy. Put the wand down before you hurt yourself"

"Too chicken to fight me, Shaw?"

"It's not really a fight when one person has the clear advantage. Give it your best shot"

She flicked her wand under her sleeve. Without Draco realizing it, his wand had turned towards him. He cast a burn hex. A jet of white light emitted from his wand, hitting him. He staggered back, holding his chest. There was a hole in his shirt, singed around the edges.

"Someone doesn't know their Wand Use 101. First lesson? Don't hold the wand backwards"

"Draco, don't fight. Aaron didn't"

"Shut up!"

Pansy looked taken aback. Tears filled her eyes.

"Don't talk to her like that"

"She's my girlfriend, Shaw. I'll talk to her however I want. You're nothing"

"And you're an egotistical brat"

"Keep pushing me, Shaw"

"Gladly"

She shoved him, making him fall to the floor. Draco stood up, holding his side. Crabbe and Goyle moved in front of her, rubbing their knuckles. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Ooh, I'm so scared. Tweedle dee and Tweedle dum are going to beat me up. You're pathetic, Malfoy. You need someone to fight for you?"

Though she was not scared of his lackeys, she had to remind herself that she did not look like a girl. They would hit a guy with no problem. She was sure they could snap her like a twig.

"Step aside, morons. This is between me and the blonde idiot"

Neither of them moved. "I'm not going to say it again. Move out of my way or things will get very ugly"

She stepped closer to the two apes, staring them down. They continued to rub their knuckles in a threatening manner.

"I have beat up bigger dolts than you two so don't think I won't turn you into a couple of sniveling girls"

Goyle looked over at Draco. He was standing between Blaise and Theodore. Both of them seemed reluctant about this fight. Draco gave a small nod. As Goyle raised his fist, Aria kicked him right in the groin. He fell to the ground in pain. Her sneaker dug into his pudgy neck. Crabbe backed away while Draco looked shocked. Goyle winced.

"Anyone else want to fight for the royal prat?"

The other Slytherins were silent. She bent down to Goyle.

"If you ever try that again, I will pull your guts out through your throat. Do you understand me?" she hissed.

He nodded. Aria patted his cheek and walked over to Draco. She grabbed his hair roughly, leaning close to his ear.

"And if you talk to Pansy and any other girl like that again, I will personally snap off your dick and feed it to a stray dog. She won't stand up to you but as you can see, I have no problem doing it for her. You Malfoys aren't as invincible as you like to think"

Adrian diffused the tension by getting everyone back into a party mood. Aria decided to check on Pansy. She found her in her room with her face buried in a pillow. Her make-up was smudged from crying. Tears trickled down her cheeks. Aria sat beside her.

"He shouldn't have yelled at you like that. Are you okay?"

"He's n—never yelled at me"

"You didn't deserve it. Honestly, Pansy, you're too good for him. He treats you like some dog…as if he owns you. It isn't right. You deserve someone who will treat you special and cares about you"

Pansy sniffled. "Like you?"

"Like—wait, what?"

She leaned closer. Aria scooted back.

"I didn't mean—Pansy, we're friends. It's nothing more than that. Just try to see that you don't have to settle for Malfoy"

There was a knock on the door. She heard Draco's voice. He claimed that he wanted to apologize to Pansy. Aria looked at her. Quietly, she nodded. Aria opened the door. Draco did not have a trace of remorse on his face. It was as if he was only apologizing to keep Pansy happy. Aria went down to the common room. She sat next to Adrian on the couches.

"There's the little fighter" joked Miles.

"I don't know how you guys can stand him"

"You get used to him after a while. Give it a few…months"

"Did you hear what his father did at the Ministry?" said Lucian, opening a firewhiskey.

"Donated a ton of money so he can keep himself firmly up Fudge's ass?"

The older guys sniggered. Lucian told them that Draco's father had complained about the hippogriff incident. He ordered for Hagrid to be fired and Buckbeak to be executed. As the conversation switched to quidditch, she saw Pansy and Draco walking down the staircase, holding hands. She kissed his cheek, smiling.

"She seriously forgave him? That girl needs a backbone…or a few brain cells"

"Let it go, Aaron. Pansy's been in love with him since we were little" said Blaise.

"Can I ask you something? If he doesn't feel the same, why are they dating?"

"Their families. Their fathers are really close and purebloods want to ensure that their families stay pure. Last year, Draco's father told him to be close to Pansy. I'm sure they're already arranged to be married by 7th year"

"So his dad wants them to date?"

Blaise nodded. "But he doesn't care if Draco goes for girls on the side. He told Draco that Malfoys get whatever they want so in Draco's mind, if he wants a girl like Talia or Lisa Turpin, he gets her and there's nothing wrong with it"

"My father says that the Parkinsons and Malfoys have an agreement that they're together and if not, the Malfoys loses like more than half of their money to Pansy's father"

Aria looked at Adrian, surprised. He explained that it was some intricate business deal and his father had seen the document. If Draco was ever caught cheating on Pansy or dumped her for another girl, the Malfoys would be in a huge debt since they promised a union between Draco and Pansy.

"He's never going to dump Pansy, Adrian. No girl at Hogwarts is worth that"

"You never know. He might meet some girl that he really wants…enough to make him not care about his money" said Aria.

Adrian chuckled. "We're talking about the same guy, right?"

Aria looked over at Draco and Pansy by the staircase. Pansy giggled as he kissed her cheek. Forming an idea in her head, she watched them with a small smirk on her face…


	13. Masquerade

-Christmas- As it reached the end of term, the castle was mainly empty. Almost every student had gone home for the holidays. Since Aria had no actual home, she decided to stay at Hogwarts. Daphne had suggested that her parents would allow her to stay at her house but Aria declined the offer. If she could barely stand Daphne at Hogwarts, she could only imagine what it would be like to spend weeks alone with her. The only ones staying at Hogwarts besides her were Harry, Ron, Hermione, a first year, and Cassius Warrington, a surly fifth year Slytherin who usually kept to himself. Aria spent the holidays sneaking down to Hogsmeade and talking to Sirius. He would tell her stories about his time at Hogwarts and her parents.

During one of their conversations, Sirius mentioned that he was godfather to both her and Harry. Her mother had trusted Sirius with her life, knowing him since she was a little girl. Their parents had been close friends until her mother's parents had been murdered. After that incident, Sirius's family cut ties to her mother though Sirius continued to be her close friend. Aria's godmother had been Lily Evans, Harry's mother. Aria was glad to have both Sirius and Lupin around her at Hogwarts. They were like father figures to her, something she always wanted in her life. Aria soon learned that Hermione's cat Crookshanks could see through Pettigrew's disguise as a rat. It was the reason that Crookshanks would attempt to pounce on him. Sirius and Aria decided to use the cat to their advantage to catch Scabbers. It would be a plausible excuse that Crookshanks ate him if he suddenly went missing.

Aria had just entered an abandoned building. Sirius was reading a crumpled copy of the _Daily Prophet_. She took out a plastic bag filled with food and clothing. He bit into a ham sandwich, hungrily.

"The clothes were my dad's. I don't know if you're the same size but I can use magic if they don't fit"

"They'll do fine. You didn't have to bring me this much"

"You've been in the same clothes since you left Azkaban. It's not like my dad needs these"

Sirius went into another room. After a few minutes, he returned, changed into a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt. He looked slightly more decent now that he was no longer in the tattered Azkaban uniform.

"Watch out, ladies" she joked.

He chuckled. "You shouldn't be spending Christmas in this dusty old place"

"Everyone's gone. I'm used to spending the holidays alone"

"Still no luck getting Harry to trust you?"

"I could save him from Voldemort himself and he'd still think that I'm evil"

"He just has a hard time looking past the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry. It's difficult to ignore when most Slytherins are nasty little gits"

From his pocket, he took out a black jewelry box. He handed it to her, calling it her Christmas present. Aria looked at him, surprised. She felt a small amount of guilt, not even thinking to buy him a present.

"You don't need to get me anything, Aria. My present can be seeing Peter get what he deserves"

She opened the jewelry box. Inside was a bracelet that had charms of a wolf, shooting star, and crescent moon hanging from it. She put it on her wrist and smiled at Sirius. This was the first gift she had received since she lost her mother.

"This is really pretty. Thanks. Can I ask you something?"

Flicking her wand, she conjured a green strapless dress with black lace peeking out from the bottom, a pair of black heels, and a black lace masquerade mask. The dress had a corset-like bodice and stopped at mid-thigh. She put the mask over her face. Sirius stared at her.

"If I wear this, think anyone would recognize me?"

"Where are you going?"

"Fudge is throwing this Christmas masquerade ball at his manor. It's invitation only but Daphne got me one. I just changed the name and told the Slytherins that I couldn't go"

"Then why would you go there?"

"For Draco"

"Do you…like him?"

Aria put the mask down and scrunched her nose in disgust. The thought of having any feelings for Draco made her physically sick. She would sooner fall in love with a dog than him.

"That is gross. I am using this party to get him to fall for me"

"Why?" he asked, confused.

Aria told him about the business deal between the Malfoys and Parkinsons. Over the past few months, she knew Draco well enough that she could imitate his perfect girl. She was sure it would take little effort to get his attention. His preference for girls like Talia meant that he did not have very high standards.

"He's a Malfoy. I'm sure he knows how to not get caught"

"I already worked that out. There was an ad for a photographer for hire in the _Daily Prophet_. He's going to be at the party and I'm paying him to take pictures of me and any guy I'm with tonight. All I need is a few incriminating photos and Lucius Malfoy will lose a lot of money. It's a small payback for what he did to me. Is it a bad plan?"

"It's definitely devious. If that little Lucius clone isn't swayed by how beautiful you are, he's blind. You should get back to the castle before someone notices that you're missing"

Aria returned to the castle for lunch. There was a single long table in the Great Hall. She saw Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Sprout, Flick, and the two first years. Dumbledore smiled.

"Ah, Aaron, good of you to join us. Sit wherever you like. I do believe you will enjoy the feast"

Aria sat next to the first year, a shy Hufflepuff. Once Cassius, Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived, the feast started. Hermione sat next to Aria with Harry and Ron across from them. Ron and Hermione avoided eye contact. In a hushed whisper, she told Aria that Crookshanks had lunged at Scabbers while Harry showed off his new Firebolt. Hermione was worried about the fact that the broom came with no word to signify who bought it. Aria assumed it had been Sirius.

"What are you two gossiping about?" asked Ron, interrupting their conversation.

"How dreamy you are, Ron. I can't help but get lost in your eyes" replied Aria.

He rolled his eyes at her. Dumbledore conjured multiple Christmas crackers. Aria pulled one with Hermione, which enveloped them in dark blue smoke. As the smoke cleared, she saw a black beret. She put it on Hermione.

"You're ready to strut that runway. Smile with your eyes"

Hermione laughed, nudging her shoulder. The feast went from joyful to awkward when Trelawney entered the Great Hall. She made this big spectacle, claiming that her crystal gazing showed her joining them for lunch. When Dumbledore conjured a chair for her, she was against it, telling him that if thirteen people dine together, the first to rise would die. Her grim prediction made Hermione scoff under her breath. McGonagall looked equally annoyed with Trelawney. Aria hid her laughter in her glass of water when Trelawney asked about Lupin's absence and McGonagall remarked that Trelawney should already know what happened to him. Trelawney retorted that she pretended to not be all-knowing to not make other people nervous around her.

"I have seen that poor Professor Lupin will not be with us for very long. He seems aware that his time is short. When I offered to crystal gaze for him, he fled"

"Can't imagine why" muttered Aria.

"I am sure he is in no danger. Severus, you've made the potion for him, haven't you?"

"Yes, Headmaster" replied Snape, curtly.

Dumbledore glanced at Aria. His eyes twinkled.

"I hear you have been helping Professor Snape with the potion. You must be quite the talent. He does not let many near his potion ingredients"

"I am ever so lucky"

Two hours later, Aria felt like her stomach might burst. She had never eaten so much in her life. Harry and Ron got up from the table. Trelawney questioned which of them stood up first, making it sound like a matter of life and death.

"I doubt it will make much difference unless a mad axe-man is waiting outside the doors to slaughter the first into the entrance hall" said McGonagall, coldly.

Aria flicked her wand under the table. As they left the Great Hall, she heard loud yells. She suppressed a laugh. Hermione noticed her place her wand back into her jeans pocket.

"What did you do?"

"Made an axe-man appear and pretend to attack them"

"That wasn't funny, Shaw!" she heard Harry shout.

McGonagall pursed her lips. Aria feigned a clueless expression. As the food cleared, they got up from the table.

"Aaron, do you want to come to the Gryffindor common room? You shouldn't be alone on Christmas"

"I actually have this boring Ministry party to go to and I should get ready. You and the Hardy Boys have fun. Before I forget"

Aria conjured a wrapped box. She handed it to Hermione. It was a book on Arithmancy, which happened to be her favorite subject.

"I was looking at this in Hogsmeade. Thank you. Here's yours"

Aria opened the thin box. Inside was a green and silver striped scarf.

"I knitted it. My mother started to teach me knitting over the summer. Sorry if it's a bit misshapen"

"It's great. I can barely do a tie. Knitting a whole scarf is impressive"

"Enjoy the party"

Aria returned to her room and began to get ready for the Ministry party. It was the first time in years that she would dress like an actual girl. She removed the disguising charms. Her hair stopped around mid-back, ending in soft curls. She used a spell to put her hair into loose waves. Instead of piles of make-up like some girls at Hogwarts tended to wear, she swiped on lip-gloss and mascara. She conjured a full-length mirror to check her appearance. The dress was very form-fitting, showing off her subtle curves. Her heels tied up her ankle with black ribbon. She stared at herself in the mirror. It was bizarre, to say the least. She had gotten so used to posing as a boy that she could barely recognize herself.

Grabbing a small black clutch and her mask, she left the common room. She snuck out of the castle, careful to not let anyone see her. Going into the Three Broomsticks, she used the floo network to get to the party. She landed outside of an enormous manor. People walked up to the manor, all dressed in very formal attire. She tied on her mask and followed them. They were headed to an ornately decorated ballroom. A man stood to the side of the entrance.

"Do you have an invitation, miss?"

"Yes" she said, showing her invitation.

She entered the ballroom. It was packed with Ministry officials and other high society purebloods. Though the Ministry claimed to be tolerant of muggleborns and halfbloods, she knew that they had a slight bias to pureblood families. Purebloods tended to be seen as superior in wizarding society. She spotted a few Slytherins standing with their parents, looking bored. Pansy had mentioned that she would not be at the party due to a previous engagement with her grandparents. Aria reminded herself to be careful of running into her aunt at the party. A middle-aged man walked over to her, a camera hanging around his neck.

"Miss Knight?"

"Yes. You must be Mr. Barnes. It's nice to meet you in person"

"Your letter said that these photos need to stay private. Who am I taking pictures of tonight?"

"Me and Draco Malfoy"

Barnes bit his lip. "A Malfoy, eh? That could be dangerous"

"Then I'll up your pay. 5,000 galleons for the photos and another 5,000 to keep quiet that you're doing this for me"

He chuckled and shook her hand. "You've got a deal. Don't worry about him noticing me. You should get the photos by next week"

Aria went over to the drinks table, scanning the crowd for her target…

`~Draco~

Draco was standing next to his father, listening to a conversation between him and Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. He dreaded being at these parties every year. Ever since he was five years old, his mother forced him to attend despite his insistence that he had no reason to be there. He had to endure his mother's friends making the same comments about how he had grown so tall and handsome. The only upside was that as he grew older, they stopped pinching his cheeks. His parents used the parties as a way to schmooze and ingratiate themselves with wizards of high status like themselves.

Despite his father losing his role as school governor, Fudge still valued his opinion, allowing him to work as an advisor like Graham's father. The position made his father privy to very confidential information. As they chatted about some legislation against werewolves, Draco pretended to be interested. He snuck glances at his watch. With Pansy absent from the party, it would be much easier to sneak around with Talia. He planned to meet her by the staircase in five minutes to go into one of Fudge's guest rooms.

Blaise nudged him and nodded his head to the side. Daphne was ignoring the advances of an older guy who went to Beauxbatons. After giving him the cold shoulder, he whispered in her ear and walked off with some friends. Daphne looked disgusted.

"Way to help me, guys. That pig almost had his hand up my dress. If Aaron was here, he would've made him back off"

Draco rolled his eyes. He was tired of hearing the girls praise Aaron. Ever since he arrived at Hogwarts, they frequently gushed over him, calling him brave, compassionate, and amazing. Though Pansy would never cheat on Draco, he could tell that she had some kind of attraction to Aaron. Each day, Draco became more infuriated with him. Aaron was too confident for his own good and needed a lesson in respect. Talia waved at him and snuck away from her friends. Draco excused himself, lying that he needed to get another drink. The girls eyed him suspiciously.

He headed towards the staircase, keeping his mask in his pocket. As he passed by a group of men talking about Gringotts, someone bumped into him. Fruit punch had been spilled onto his suit, creating a stain. He snarled, ready to lash out at the bumbling idiot. As he looked up from his suit, his glare faltered. The person in front of him was a teenage girl, no older than him, with long wavy golden blonde hair. Her dress accentuated her petite figure. The thing that drew him in most were her eyes, which could only be described as breath-taking. Their blue-green color reminded him of the ocean. Her face was covered by a black lace mask but he could see that she was far from hideous.

"I am so sorry. I was looking for a friend and—I am so clumsy. Here, let me"

Her hand brushed against his suit. His eyes did not leave her face. The girl attempted to wipe off the stain.

"This isn't going to work"

As she looked at him, her eyes widened. "And to make it worse, you're Draco Malfoy. This is embarrassing"

"You know who I am?"

"Of course I do. You're…you. Who doesn't know you? From all the stories I've heard, you sounded unreal. I never thought I'd meet you in person"

Draco smirked. The girl blushed.

"I'm just going to walk away before I completely humiliate myself"

There was this strong urge inside him to get to know her. He could not let her get away that easily.

"You're not humiliating yourself. Why don't we go outside? This room is a bit crowded"

With a flick of his wand, he removed the stain on his suit. He led her outside, snatching a bottle of champagne and two glasses from an empty table. They sat on a stone bench in Fudge's wife's rose garden. He poured champagne into a glass for her.

"So you already know me. Who are you?"

"Clare Knight"

Draco vaguely recognized that last name. His father had mentioned it once.

"That's a pureblood family, right?"

"Of course. What else is there? My family doesn't think very highly of halfbloods and—muggleborns. It's why I get homeschooled. My father didn't want me to associate with those kinds of people. If you ask me, they don't even deserve to learn magic"

"I wish my parents would just hire me a tutor. You should see the filth at Hogwarts"

"I heard about what happened there last year…the muggleborns being petrified by some monster. If I was there, I would've helped whoever was behind the attacks. That loser Harry Potter had to ruin the fun. He thinks he's the greatest person alive just because he has some scar on his head"

For the next hour, Draco and Clare talked with one another. They were very similar in their beliefs. Draco never met a girl this perfect. He could not help staring at her. When she smiled, it seemed to make everything brighter. He listened to her talk about sitting in the top box at a quidditch match between England and Ireland.

"Take off your mask. You don't need it out here"

"Only if you promise not to make fun of my gruesome face"

He chuckled. "I promise"

She untied the mask. He was entranced by her eyes.

"You are really stunning"

His hand rested on her knee. She looked anxious.

"Don't worry. My girlf—girl cousin isn't at the party. If she was, she'd be spying on us right now"

Slow music played from the ballroom. He asked her to dance. As he held her waist, her hands rested on his shoulders. She blushed, staring at the ground. He tilted her chin up and moved his hand along her cheek. Their eyes locked. It felt like electricity passed through his body. He leaned closer and their noses touched.

"Draco"

Her melodic voice made him shiver. She stepped back, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

"I—I can't. My father…if someone sees us, he'll be furious. He has this insane deal to arrange me with some guy I barely know"

Draco thought of the deal that his parents made with the Parkinsons last year. He understood why Clare had been so uneasy. Her father would not want her with anyone else but the guy from this arranged pairing.

"I know what that's like, Clare"

"I should go find my parents. We're supposed to be leaving soon"

He stopped her from leaving, grabbing her arm. "Wait, I want to see you again. At least let me write to you…"

She smiled. "I'd like that"

Ripping off a piece of the invitation, she wrote down her address. She gave it to him. Draco kissed her cheek and watched her return to the manor. He found himself unable to stop thinking about her. Running his hand through his hair, he found his parents in the ballroom.

"Sweetheart, here you are. Where have you been?"

"Talking to some friends, mother"

"Draco, come with me to meet some important people in the potions trade"

Draco recognized the underlying threat in his father's tone. Warily, he followed him into the kitchen. It was completely empty. His father looked down at him with a cold gaze.

"Walden MacNair told me about a very interesting sight in the garden. He saw you getting cozy with a girl who looks nothing like Pansy"

"W—we were just…it was nothing, father. It was just a conversation"

"And you could not have this conversation in public? Do not take me for a fool, Draco. I told you that I did not mind if you wanted to enjoy the company of other girls while you were with Pansy. I understand that you are a teenage boy but you must be more discrete"

"Father, can't you…get rid of the deal between you and Pansy's father? I'm thirteen. I shouldn't be arranged to marry a girl already"

"Have you become infatuated with this girl within a few hours? Who is she? She must be quite something"

Draco wished that Clare was still at the party. If his father met her, he would surely end the arrangement between him and Pansy. Clare could win him over with just a smile.

"Clare Knight"

To his confusion, his father's face paled. It was the first time that Draco had seen him so tense. He gripped his walking stick.

"What was that?"

"Clare Knight. I think you would really like her. She's pureblood and…I don't know how to start describing her. She's perfect"

"What did this girl look like?"

"She was really tan and petite with long blonde hair, this cute button nose, and amazing eyes. You could get lost in them. They were a blue-green color. She's beautiful and"

"Enough. Stay away from that girl. Do you understand me, Draco? If you so much as write to her, you will be punished"

"But"

His father left the kitchen. Draco followed after him. He found his father with Mrs. Montague. They were standing in a secluded hallway. Draco hid behind the wall, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Clare Knight. He described her exactly, Elyse"

"It could be a coincidence"

"Coincidence that she has the same name as your brother's wife?"

"What are you suggesting, Lucius? Clare's dead"

"I believe it's some ruse orchestrated by your brother. Even if he is in Azkaban, I wouldn't put it past him to get an old friend to torture me and my family. It must have been someone under polyjuice potion. He knows I was behind what happened to Clare…"

"I'll go visit him at Azkaban later tonight. For all we know, it could have been Black. You know they loved their little pranks when they were at Hogwarts"

Listening to his father and Mrs. Montague, Draco thought they were either insane or incredibly wasted from all of the champagne. He knew that Clare had not been some escaped convict in disguise. His father was being paranoid. Draco walked through the crowd, looking for Blaise…

~Aria~

Aria was in the bathroom, vigorously scrubbing her cheek with soap and water. Even after the tenth wash, she could still feel Draco's germs. She wanted to erase any trace of his lips on her face. Letting him touch her had been enough torture. She kept rubbing her cheek until her skin turned red.

Giving up, she returned to her room. She was pleased that tonight had been a success. Draco fell for her act from the very beginning. Considering what had happened tonight, she was sure the photos of her and Draco would look incriminating to Mr. Parkinson. She laid down on her bed, finding it hard to contain her excitement as she imagined the look on Draco's father's face as he lost half of his fortune…

* * *

**A/N: I had some of this chapter in Draco's POV for a different perspective. In his POV, I wanted to make it clear that Draco was focused on Aria's looks and pureblood status while under her disguise as "Clare". His interest in her was due to Aria just parroting beliefs that he's expressed at Hogwarts such as his hatred for Harry and his disgust towards muggleborns. The attraction to her was purely physical, shown by how he kept describing her as beautiful and stunning. Aria knew that being pretty and fawning over Draco would be enough to get his attention. Her use of her mother's name is important because of how it affected Draco's father, unsettling him. Though Aria is using Draco to get her revenge, her hatred is mainly towards his father for his part in her mother's death. Lucius is going to play a bigger role as the story continues and there will be surprising interactions between him and Aria. **


	14. Schemes

Over the past few weeks, Aria continued with her plan to bankrupt the Malfoys. She received the pictures from the Christmas masquerade ball the day before the start of term. The photographer did a perfect job, ensuring that each picture looked incriminating. Even Draco, who could charm his way out of most situations, would be unable to think of an excuse to make the interactions between them appear innocent. Giving her fake address to him, she was able to gather more evidence. He did not recognize that the address corresponded to the abandoned building in Hogsmeade that Sirius used as a hideout. Early in the morning, Aria would sneak out to Hogsmeade to collect the letters and write him a response. Through the letters, she was able to manipulate him, pretending to be falling for him despite her arranged marriage to someone else. Draco opened up to her about his true feelings for Pansy, providing further ammunition for her scheme.

While keeping up her façade with Draco, she spent some time alone, reading her father's old journal. She used it to learn more about her abilities as a shifter. His journal told her various weaknesses like wolfsbane. The herb could be used to subdue a shifter and if too much was ingested, it would kill them. When shifter populations were higher in the past, the Ministry had a large storage of wolfsbane in case any shifter was causing trouble in the wizarding community. Her father wrote that he began ingesting small amounts of wolfsbane to build up a tolerance. Aria followed his example, sneaking wolfsbane from Snape's private storeroom and putting a sprig into her drinks at meals. At first, it was very difficult to stomach since it felt as if she was swallowing acid.

Aria was heading towards the history classroom. When everyone returned to Hogwarts, he began teaching Harry the patronus charm to help defend himself against the dementors. Earlier in the day, Lupin asked for her assistance, knowing that she was an expert at the charm. As she neared the grand staircase, an arm slipped through hers. To her annoyance, Talia was beside her, smiling like a predatory lion. Over the weekend, Slytherin had their match against Ravenclaw. The Ravenclaw seeker, a fourth year girl named Cho Chang, attempted to distract Aria with her looks. During the game, Cho continually smiled and waved at her. Since Aria was not an actual guy, it had no effect on her and she found the snitch, winning the match for Slytherin. Her performance during the game caught the attention of girls at the school. They began showing more interest in Aria, cornering her in the corridors to mostly flirt and ask her to go on dates. It was the first time that Aria felt the closest sensation to fright. Any words of rejection from her went in one ear and out the other.

Talia squeezed Aria's arm. Her strong perfume made it difficult to breathe.

"Hi Aaron. Where are you going?"

"To meet Professor Lupin. I'm helping him with something"

"That's boring. Why don't you come to the Astronomy tower with me?"

"Well, I would but I can't"

"Why not?" she asked, pouting.

Aria twisted herself out of Talia's tight hold. "Because, and I can't stress this enough…I don't want to, Talia. I am the last guy who would be interested in you"

Talia did not look offended by her bluntness. She smirked and made circles on Aria's shirt with the tip of her finger.

"I always get what I want, Aaron. We both know it's going to happen"

Aria scrunched her nose in disgust. She hurried up to the second floor. When she opened the door to the history classroom, Lupin was placing a large trunk onto Binns's desk while Harry leaned against the wall, holding his wand. Harry stiffened, seeing her.

"It's all right, Harry. I asked Aaron to join us this evening. I thought he could help with the lessons"

"But sir"

"There's nothing wrong with extra help. Aaron's proven to be skilled at producing a patronus. You can take a seat, Aaron. We'll allow Harry a few tries before we offer any assistance"

She nodded and sat on top of an empty desk. Harry looked reluctant to practice in front of her. Lupin had mentioned to her that they were practicing with a boggart taking the form of a dementor. As he opened the trunk, the boggart rose into the air. Harry pointed his wand at it and recited the incantation. A silvery shadow emerged from his wand, barely affecting the boggart. Aria watched him perform the charm three more times. With each attempt, he became more frustrated. She walked over to him.

"You need to focus more on your happy memory. You're too worried about what you might hear if a dementor gets close"

Harry clenched his fists. "You do it if you're so clever"

She pointed her wand at the boggart. Reciting the incantation, she produced her patronus. It knocked the boggart back and stood in front of Aria protectively.

"Why isn't mine like that?" he asked Lupin.

"It takes a lot of practice, Harry. You should be proud of what you've been able to achieve so far at your young age"

Harry attempted the charm again. This time, the silver shadow was strong enough to push the boggart back a few inches. Lupin praised him for the quick improvement. He suggested that they stop the lessons for tonight and conjured bottles of butterbeer for them. Aria reached into her pocket and crushed wolfsbane in her hand, sprinkling it into the bottle. She took a sip and grimaced at the taste. Lupin was discussing the dementor's kiss, the worst weapon used by a dementor. The kiss would suck out a person's soul, leaving them in a vegetative state. It was considered a fate worse than death as the person was merely a shell of their former self.

Last year, she read in the _Daily Prophet _that a few Ministry officials, including Draco's father, pushed for her father to receive the dementor's kiss. She was relieved that the law department denied the request. Harry suggested that Sirius deserved it. The adamant tone in his voice made her uneasy. Once they finished their butterbeers, Lupin let them return to their common rooms. She walked down the corridor, twirling her necklace between her fingers.

"Are you all right?"

Her eyes flickered to Harry. "You were um really quiet when Lupin was talking about the dementor's kiss"

"My dad was supposed to get it once"

Harry looked at her, surprised. Aria felt herself blushing.

"Your dad's…in Azkaban?"

"He was framed. He's been there since I was barely a week old. I don't have any memories of him…just one old picture of me and my parents. He's what I think about for my patronus. I think about him getting out of Azkaban and us being a family again"

"I'm sorry, Aaron"

"Don't worry about it"

"Not just your dad…about everything. Hermione's right. Ron and I have been acting stupid. We were friends before you got sorted into Slytherin and nothing about you changed. You're the same person. You saved my life at that first quidditch match and I was too stubborn to thank you"

He ran his hand through his hair, awkwardly. Muttering under his breath, he asked if they could still be friends. Aria pushed his shoudler.

"Yea, you dork. Don't be such a girl"

He smiled. She was unsure if Ron would be as accepting but Harry assured her that he would talk to him. McGonagall interrupted their conversation. She wanted to speak to Harry in private. He told Aria to wait by the Gryffindor common room. Aria continued up the staircase. As she turned the corner, she bumped into Neville. The contents of his bag spilled onto the floor. Apologizing, she helped pick up belongings. There was a piece of paper with a list of words next to his Potions book. At the top of the paper, he had written _Gryffindor passwords_. She slid the paper into her pocket and gave the book to Neville.

"T—thanks Aaron. I—I was jus—just coming from detention with Snape"

"Hope it wasn't too bad. I was heading to the common room too. I'll walk with you"

When they reached the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, she saw the portrait of Sir Cadogan, an insane knight. He fell off of his pony and lifted up his helmet.

"Good even, fellows. Come to enter the chambers?"

Neville reached into his bag. He panicked, unable to find the list of passwords. Sir Cadogan would not let them into the common room. Neville headed back down the staircase, searching for the list. Aria decided to wait for him. Minutes later, Parvati and Lavender were walking up the stairs, giggling and gossiping in soft whispers.

"Hi Aaron. What are you doing here?" asked Lavender.

"I was um"

"Come on. We can let you in the common room"

Parvati gave the password to Sir Cadogan. The portrait swung open, revealing an archway. Aria was pulled into the common room.

"Is Hermione here? I was going to ask her a homework question"

Lavender rolled her eyes. "Probably up in our dorm. She's always doing work. I can take you there"

"No, I think I can manage. You might want to help Neville get in here. He forgot the password"

Seamus and Dean were by the fireplace, playing wizard's chess. Aria snuck up to the dormitories and entered the third year boys' room. Scabbers was nestled on one of the beds. She walked over to the bed, grabbing Scabbers by the tail. He began squeaking loudly.

"It's over, Pettigrew. Someone is _seriously_ interested in seeing you"

Suddenly, his sharp teeth bit into her finger. She winced and dropped Scabbers. Blood dripped onto Ron's sheets. Scabbers scurried around the room. She shot spell after spell, narrowly missing him. Scabbers headed for a small hole in the corner of the room. She lunged at him. Before she could grab him, he disappeared in the hole. She cursed under her breath. Flicking her wand, she healed her cut finger and a scrape on her elbow. She headed back down to the common room. Hermione was sitting at a table, hidden by tall stacks of books. Aria sat beside her, watching her write a long essay for muggle studies. Covering her mouth, Hermione yawned.

"Hello Aaron" she said, tiredly.

Hermione blinked a few times. Her eyes widened.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Harry and I made up. I don't think Ron will warm up to me as quickly but two out of three isn't bad"

"That's wonderful. I knew they would stop being foolish"

Aria looked at her essay. "Why muggles need electricity…that's obvious, Hermione. It's because they can't do magic"

Hermione shook her head at her. Aria shrugged.

"Well it's the truth. How are you not dying from all this work? Maybe you should drop a course or two"

"Oh no, I couldn't do that. I am doing just fine. It's"

Her voice got drowned out by a loud clamor of excitement. A crowd gathered around the common room entrance. She spotted the handle of Harry's _Firebolt_ and assumed that everyone wanted to see the expensive broom. After ten minutes of kids staring at the broom in awe, Harry and Ron made their way over to Hermione and Aria. Ron avoided eye contact with Aria until Harry nudged his side. With a sigh, he looked at her.

"I'm sorry about how I treated you, mate. It was stupid"

"I accept your apology. Next time, it won't be so easy. I'll expect a barrel full of cauldron cakes"

There was some tension between Harry, Ron, and Hermione concerning the _Firebolt_. Aria knew that the guys had been furious with her for getting the broom confiscated on Christmas. Ron, as usual, lacked tact.

"See, Hermione? There wasn't anything wrong with it!"

She erased a sentence from her essay. "Well…there might have been! At least we know it's safe now"

Ron offered to bring the _Firebolt_ back to their dorm. As Aria watched a group of sixth year guys selling a "special elixir" to be good at Transfiguration to some second years, she heard a loud yell, followed by hurried footsteps. Ron rushed down to the common room, holding his sheets. He stamped over to Hermione, looking livid.

"Look! Look at this! Scabbers!"

Turning the sheets, he showed the blood to her. Hermione leaned away from him.

"Blood! He's gone! And guess what was on the floor?!" he said, holding up long, ginger cat hairs.

Aria realized that Ron was blaming Crookshanks for Scabbers's disappearance. Hermione's face paled. When Aria attempted to defend Hermione, saying that Scabbers could have left through cracks in the wall, he refused to believe her. Hermione suggested that he check under the beds to be certain that Scabbers had vanished. Ron exploded with anger. He accused Hermione of not caring about Scabbers and not watching Crookshanks properly. Harry and Aria went back and forth as the two argued. She had never seen them fight so fiercely. Both Ron and Hermione were turning red in the face.

" Aaron, you should go before this gets even worse. I'll make sure they don't rip each other's heads off" said Harry.

"Ron, I know how this looks but I'm positive Scabbers is alive. I'll even help you find him"

Reluctantly, she left the common room. The aftermath of their argument had left a large rift in the friendship between Ron and Hermione. Harry sided with Ron, believing that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers. Aria comforted her the next day, hanging out in the library during meals. Her Slytherin friends were not pleased that she was spending time with a Gryffindor, especially a muggleborn. She ignored their complaints. Aria partially blamed herself for the mess though she knew that even if she had removed the blood from the sheets, Ron would still accuse Crookshanks.

Aria woke up early on Saturday morning to meet with Sirius. She snuck down to Hogsmeade. While she gave Sirius some food from the kitchens, she told him about the incident with Scabbers.

"Bastard bit my finger. I know he's still alive. I might be able to sniff him out. Shifters have enhanced senses so that could be useful"

"Just be careful"

"I'm not scared of a rat"

"Don't let anyone see what you're doing. They could follow you and find me"

She opened up one of the floorboards. Underneath, there was a stack of letters. She pulled them out and put them in her coat pocket.

"You still didn't answer the recent one from a week ago"

"I did that on purpose. I'm waiting for the perfect moment to strike. There's no way that Malfoy can recover from this"

"Don't be surprised if he does, Aria. I don't want you to get your hopes up"

Aria handed him the list of passwords to the Gryffindor common room. She explained that when she was able to find Scabbers, she would send him a message through her owl. They could then plan on getting Scabbers together. She returned to the castle and entered the Great Hall. Sitting next to Theodore, she saw that most Ravenclaws, Slytherins, and Hufflepuffs were staring at the Gryffindor table where Harry had his _Firebolt_. Lucian suggested that it was a fake. As the guys discussed how Harry could afford the broom, Aria looked at Draco. He leaned his head against his hand, pushing the food around his plate. When owls swooped into the Great Hall, his head shot up in anticipation. He kept watching each owl, waiting for it to land near him.

"What's up with you?" asked Adrian, opening a box of sweets from his mother.

"He's waiting for his darling Clare's letter" teased Blaise.

A few guys sniggered. Draco glared.

"Shut up"

"We've never even met this girl. Are you sure she's real?"

"Of course she's real. I don't know why she's not writing me back. She usually replies within a day"

"Draco, you know you're dating Pansy, right?" asked Flint.

"I know I am, Flint. I just…Clare's different. If it wasn't for this stupid deal between our fathers, I could dump Pansy and be with Clare"

The girls entered the Great Hall. Pansy appeared to be more cheerful than usual. She hugged Draco from behind. He grimaced. She kissed his cheek.

"Happy anniversary, Drakie"

The expression on his face said it all. Draco had forgotten that today was their first year anniversary.

"Yea, um…happy anniversary to you too. I'd never forget today"

"I can't wait for my present"

"Can't wait to see him get out of this one" whispered Theodore.

During breakfast, Pansy babbled about their anniversary. In her mind, Draco had a romantic date planned for the day. Around eleven, everyone headed to the quidditch pitch. Draco was struggling to come up with ideas for Pansy's gift.

"Why do girls have to care about this stuff?" he asked, annoyed.

"You know what? Let me handle it"

Draco looked at her. "What?"

"I'll get you out of this mess"

"What's the catch, Shaw?"

"You'll just owe me a favor. Small price to pay to keep Pansy from going nuts, isn't it? You occupy her at the match and I'll figure something out. I'll meet you here once the match ends. Deal?"

She held out her hand. He grabbed it roughly.

"If you screw this up, you're going to be sorry, Shaw"

Once they left the Great Hall, Aria walked into the owlery. Speedy flew around her head, excitedly. He landed on a low perch. She conjured a large envelope, which contained the pictures from the masquerade ball and the letters from Draco. Shrinking it with a spell, she put it inside another envelope, which contained a letter. She tied it to Speedy's leg.

"Take this to the the British Ministry, Speedy"

She hurried down to Hogsmeade. With Harry on his _Firebolt_, she doubted the match would take long. She did not want to waste time in case he caught the snitch early. Passing the pitch, she could hear Lee Jordan's commentary. Gryffindor was in the lead by eighty points. She stopped at Madam Puddifoot's tea shop. Madam Puddifoot was a stout woman with a heart-shaped face and hair in a tight black bun. She smiled warmly.

"Hello dear. How can I help you?"

"I need you to close your shop for today. You're going to have just two customers"

"Afraid I can't do that. My shop is very busy during"

Aria flicked her wand, casting a memory charm. The expression in the tea shop owner's eyes turned blank. Aria told her that the shop would be closed for a special date between Draco and Pansy. With a few more spells, Aria made it look all romantic from Pansy's perspective. She conjured multiple gift boxes and made a banner that read _Happy Anniversary, Pansy_. Glittery hearts floated down from the ceiling. Aria gave Madam Puddifoot specific instructions for the date. Once everything was set, she returned to the pitch. The Gryffindors were cheering in celebration. Daphne, Tracey, Millicent, and Pansy left the Slytherin stands.

"Aaron, don't tell me you were in on that prank" said Daphne.

"What prank?"

"Good, you're not as dumb as them. The guys pretended to be dementors to scare Potter during the match and they got caught. McGonagall's furious"

"I hope she doesn't give Draco detention today. He has to tell her it's our anniversary" said Pansy, concerned.

McGonagall was staring down at tangled group of bodies in the middle of the pitch. To call her furious would be an understatement. Blaise, Theodore, Crabbe, Goyle, Draco, Flint, and Lucian were struggling to get out of long hooded robes. Aria walked over to them. She flicked her wand, casting another memory charm.

"You're going to forget about this. Nothing happened"

McGonagall blinked, snapping out of the daze. "What are you boy doings?"

"Just talking, professor. You should be celebrating Gryffindor's victory" said Aria, convincingly.

"Yes, I…behave yourselves"

She walked over to Dumbledore. The guys stared at Aria, shocked.

"Bloody hell, Aaron. You used a memory charm on a teacher" said Blaise.

"Got you out of trouble, didn't it? I can't save you from the girls though. They're not happy about your little prank"

As the girls walked over, Aria slid a jewelry box into Draco's hand.

"Just take Pansy to the tea shop. It's all set up" she whispered.

Draco gave the box to Pansy. It contained a diamond bracelet. She squealed in excitement and hugged him. He led her to Hogsmeade, playing up the loving boyfriend act. Aria followed the other Slytherins to the common room. They spent the rest of the day playing wizard's chess and listening to quidditch matches on the radio. The girls read copies of _Witch Weekly_. Daphne tried to get her to take a quiz about love. As it got close to dinnertime, Draco returned to the common room.

"Where's Pansy?" asked Millicent.

"Jenna had been at the owlery and a letter came for Pansy so she gave it to her. It's probably just her mother sending her weekly letters where they gossip to each other"

He sat on the arm of the couch, next to Aria. The guys listened intently to the radio, awaiting the outcome of the match between England and Brazil.

"Thanks, Shaw" he mumbled.

Aria looked at him. "For what?"

"For helping me out today. I'm guessing you used a memory charm on Puddifoot. Pansy liked it all so much that I should be in the clear if I forget some other anniversary"

"Told you I'd help you out. I got your back. Nothing could ruin today"

The wall slid open and Pansy entered the common room. Her cheeks were bright red and she had slightly visible tear stains on her cheeks. She walked over to Draco, crushing the envelope in her hands.

"Pansy, what's wrong? Are you…crying?"

"Who's Clare?"

"I don't k"

"Don't lie to me! Who is she?!"

"Pansy, I don't know a Clare. Where did you even get that name?"

Pansy ripped open the envelope. The entire common room was silent. Everyone stared between Draco and Pansy, awaiting the inevitable fight. She told Draco that her father had gotten a letter from an anonymous source, containing pictures of Draco with a mysterious blonde girl and letters addressed to a girl named Clare. He made duplicates of them, sending all of it to Pansy. She took out a picture of Draco and Aria dancing at the masquerade ball.

"Who is this boyfriend stealing bitch?!"

"Pansy"

"You must really like her. You wrote all these letters to her"

She dumped the letters onto the floor. Picking one up, she read its contents.

"I really wish I could be with you. You're perfect, Clare. You're my dream girl"

"I can explain"

"Can you really? Let's hear it, Draco. Don't tell me this is your distantly related cousin because my father isn't that stupid. He had multiple people confirm that you were spending all your time at the ball with this girl…how you kissed her"

"I didn't kiss—it wasn't…Pansy, it meant nothing"

"Don't lie to me! She isn't the only girl. There were other pictures. You and Talia Bane, you and that bookworm Lisa Turpin, you and…the list goes on, Draco. How could you do this to me?! Did you set up that whole date to just hide the truth from me?!"

"No, I"

Pansy glared. "Save it. My father's already meeting with yours and it's not a good meeting. He's invoking the clause in their agreement"

Draco looked at her, confused. It was clear that his father never mentioned the terms of the agreement, including the consequences of being unfaithful to Pansy.

"If you cheat on me, your family owes mine a lot of money…enough money that you'll be even poorer than the Weasleys"

"Pansy, wait"

Pansy chucked the envelope at his head and left the common room. He chased after her, shouting that he cared about her and would never hurt her. Aria pretended to be as shocked as everyone else. Inside, she was shaking with laughter. She placed the pictures and letters into the envelope, not wanting Graham to catch a glimpse. It would cause problems if he could recognize her from a picture. She threw it into the fireplace. The girls reacted angrily to the situation, questioning if Aria and the guys knew about Draco's betrayal. After an hour, neither Pansy nor Draco returned to the common room. Aria lied about leaving to find them. Once she was out of the common room, she twirled the necklace a few times, focusing on a location. She was transported out of the castle and landed on the first floor of the Ministry. Walking down the corridor, she saw a girl in her late 20s, carrying folders. Aria flicked her wand. The girl fell unconscious, crumpling to the floor. Aria hid her in a supply closet and used disguising charms to take on her appearance. She left the closet, holding the folders.

Turning the corner, she found herself near a series of offices for Ministry officials that worked closely to Fudge. A middle-aged woman was sifting through papers at her desk.

"Be quick, Addison. You don't want Malfoy or Parkinson to catch you near their offices"

"I just have some folders to leave in the postboxes. Is everything all right?"

"A very tense day. Something about a business deal gone bad"

Aria went over to a series of postboxes along the back wall. She was outside Mr. Malfoy's office and she could hear two men shouting behind the door. Taking her time, she listened to the conversation. She suppressed a smile as Mr. Parkinson called Draco a few nasty things. As the door opened, she focused on the boxes, putting the folders in their respective slots. A man in his late 30s, who had similar pug-like features to Pansy, left the office.

"Pierce, we can work this out"

"Lucius, the terms were clear. I expect payment by tomorrow morning. If not, we'll take this to trial. I'm sure you would rather avoid the press knowing your son's indiscretions"

Mr. Parkinson stormed down the corridor. Another man, the same age, appeared in the doorway. He looked like an older version of Draco with cold grey eyes and platinum blonde hair. His hair was much longer, tied into a ponytail by a black satin ribbon. She gripped the folders tightly, resisting the urge to hex him. His eyes rested on her.

"Eavesdropping, Ackert?"

"N—no, sir. I was just passing through to drop off some folders. I have yours right"

He snatched the folders from her hands and slammed the door. She returned to the supply closet and returned her appearance to normal. Aria struggled to contain her joy. Creating another portal, she was brought back to Hogwarts…

* * *

**A/N: I know it's been a while since I've updated. I was super busy with finals and graduation so everything was really hectic. Now that school's over, I can focus on the story and post more frequently. To make up for lack of updates, I made this chapter longer than usual. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	15. Dueling Lessons

The past week had felt like the quiet before the storm. Within a few hours of their fight, the entire school, even the professors, were aware of Draco's infidelity. Girls in the Slytherin common room avoided him, not wanting to face Pansy's wrath if she believed they were one of his many girls. By the next morning, his father arrived at the castle to bring him home. He claimed that Draco's grandfather had been sent to St. Mungo's due to a bad case of dragon pox. Unlike most of the students, Aria was not fooled by his lie and was sure that Draco would be receiving a harsh lecture about his reckless actions. Each morning, she would check the _Daily Prophet_ for any news regarding the loss of the Malfoy fortune. In front of her Slytherin friends, she feigned concern for Draco's well-being.

Aria was waiting in the common room with Blaise, Theodore, Crabbe, and Goyle. The girls, as usual, were taking hours to get dressed for Hogsmeade. She glanced at a clock on the wall.

"It's been an hour. How is it taking this long?"

Theodore leaned his head against his hand. His eyes began to droop as he attempted to get a few more minutes of sleep.

"Why did they wake us up this early if they're not even ready?" he groaned.

The girls, minus Pansy, walked down the staircase, giggling and conversing in whispers. Despite being angry at Draco, Pansy was devastated by their breakup. The first few days after their fight, she would be looking at pictures of them together instead of paying attention in classes and constantly talked about him to other Slytherins. She sometimes blamed herself for Draco's actions, including his affair with 'Clare'. Her friends did their best to get her mind off of him but their efforts were not successful. Aria felt a bit of regret for her plan since it led to Pansy's sorrow but she reminded herself that some collateral damage was necessary if she wanted the Malfoys to suffer.

"Do you like my new eyeshadow, Aaron?" asked Daphne, linking her arm through Aria's.

"It's um nice. Do you have a face under all that makeup?"

Daphne let out a shrill giggle. Aria held back a wince.

"You're so funny"

They headed down to Hogsmeade. As they looked around Honeyduke's, Tracey grabbed a magazine from a newsstand near the front door. It was a copy of _Witch Weekly_. She turned to Daphne and Millicent.

"It's the new issue. We should buy it for Pansy. She loves reading _Witch Weekly_"

"Anything exciting in there? Tips on how to please your man?" asked Blaise, jumping up and down in pretend excitement.

Aria stifled a laugh, grabbing a box of cauldron cakes from the shelf. Tracey threw a chocolate frog box at his head. As she looked at the front cover, her eyes widened. She flipped through the magazine.

"Uh oh. There's an article about Mrs. Malfoy"

Aria took the magazine from her. There was a photo of a woman with long ash blonde hair and a snooty expression on her face. Her nose was upturned as if there was a pile of dung under it. The picture showed Mrs. Malfoy leaving Gringotts bank in Diagon Alley, wearing sunglasses and a hooded coat. It appeared that she wanted to disguise herself. Under the picture, the article title read _A Fall From Grace. _The other Slytherins skimmed the article over Aria's shoulder. It discussed how the Malfoys had to remove a large sum of money from their Gringotts account and stopped giving their usual charitable donations.

Multiple sources were quoted, including goblins at the bank. One goblin claimed that the money was transferred to the Parkinson account. Other sources stated that the Malfoys had to sell some of their expensive belongings to maintain their lavish lifestyle. The article speculated that the Parkinsons would surpass the Malfoys in terms of influence in the wizarding world. There was a copy of the agreement between the two families regarding Pansy and Draco.

"I guess this is why Draco's been gone so long. Pansy wasn't kidding about that agreement" said Blaise.

"What if they lose their manor?" asked Millicent.

Aria suppressed a smirk. Once they paid for their sweets, they left the shop, continuing to discuss the article. Daphne suggested that they do not mention the article to Pansy.

"Why not? She needs to move on from him. He's not the only guy in the world"

"Aaron, she's still upset"

"Well, it's"

Suddenly, a snowball hit her back. She heard the sound of a dog barking behind her. Ignoring it, she looked at Daphne.

"You're not doing her any favors by coddling her"

"Aria" she heard in a hissed whisper.

Another snowball struck her arm. Blaise looked over her shoulder.

"I think someone just hit you with a snowball"

"Ignore it"

She heard more barking sounds. Her fists clenched in her coat pockets.

"Are they…barking?" asked Daphne, confused.

"I'll handle this creep. I'll meet you at the Three Broomsticks"

Aria walked into a dark alley between Honeyduke's and Zonko's joke shop. Sirius was leaning against the brick wall. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"What the hell are you doing? Do you want someone to see you?"

"You haven't been visiting me. I'm lonely"

"Really? Well maybe you shouldn't have gone into the Gryffindor common room and tried to kill Ron"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I was looking for Peter. I thought he could still be in the room"

"That's not an excuse. You are being completely irresponsible and—I sound like my mother"

He chuckled. Aria sighed with frustration. After she heard about Ron nearly being stabbed by Sirius, she stopped visiting him in Hogsmeade. She was furious that Sirius risked exposure. If he got caught by the aurors, they could discover that she had been helping him and learn her true identity. She was not going to let his childish actions jeopardize everything she planned.

"I know you want to find Pettigrew but I didn't give you those passwords so you could be sent back to Azkaban. You need to be more careful"

"Aria, no one knows where I'm hiding. I should have talked with you before I went in the castle. I won't do it again unless you're sure Peter is in there"

He looked at her with puppy dog eyes. "You're too old for that to work on me, Sirius. Stop looking at me like—if I say I forgive you, will you stop?"

"Do you forgive me?"

"Yes"

Aria promised to visit him tomorrow morning. She headed towards the Three Broomsticks. As she walked inside, she spotted her friends at a table. Draco was sitting next to Blaise. She did not expect to see him back at Hogwarts this soon. Reluctantly, she walked over to them. Aria sat in the only empty chair, next to Daphne. She handed Aria a mug of butterbeer.

"Are you going to start pitying me too, Shaw?" asked Draco, annoyed.

"We're not pitying you" said Tracey.

"Then stop looking at me as if I'm a dog about to be put down"

Tracey blushed, dropping her eyes to her lap. He scowled and took a sip from his mug.

"So what's going on? Are you broke?" asked Theodore.

"No. That stupid agreement cost my dad a lot of money but we're still wealthier than any of you nosy gits. He's going to fix it. I had to spend the week comforting my mother. She barely left the house except to go to Gringotts"

As they continued hanging around Hogsmeade, Draco brought down their mood considerably. He was being very spiteful and insulting and kept complaining about random things. Aria could tell that he was taking his anger out on his friends. They headed for the Shrieking Shack despite the girls' protests. Draco was looking at the sterling silver ring on his right hand, which depicted the Slytherin symbol.

"Shaw, I want to talk to you alone. Hang back" he whispered.

Aria allowed the others to walk ahead of her. They were too immersed in their conversations to notice anything.

"I need a favor. You're really good at defending yourself. I want you to teach me"

She looked at him, curiously. "Why?"

"That's my business. Just help me out"

"What do I get?"

"My dad's getting tickets to the World Cup this summer. It's early but it's one of the perks to being close to Fudge. He said we'll get to sit in the Top Box, best seats in the stadium. I already invited Blaise and Theo. They were going to stay at my manor until the match and you could do that too"

Aria pretended to contemplate his offer. Being so close to his father would give her ample opportunity to continue torturing him. She would be foolish to pass up this chance.

"Sure, why not? Sounds fun"

"We start tonight after dinner. There's a corridor of empty rooms in the dungeons. We can use one of them to practice"

The girls chickened out on seeing the Shrieking Shack. They turned around, deciding to go dress shopping. Draco told the guys about Buckbeak's hearing. Last night, his father had gone to the Ministry to give his testimony to have Buckbeak executed. Aria hid her disgust. Buckbeak was harmless. If Draco never acted like an idiot, he would not have scratched him. The Ministry was most likely intimidated into agreeing with Mr. Malfoy due to his high social status. As they walked down the hill, she saw Ron near the Shrieking Shack. She could see his mouth moving slightly and assumed he was speaking to Harry. One night, while helping them with a Potions essay, Harry told her about his invisibility cloak. He had been using it to sneak into Hogsmeade.

"He had to tell them about my arm…how I couldn't use it for months. I wish I was there to hear that hairy moron defend himself"

Draco lowered his voice to imitate Hagrid. "There's no 'arm in 'im, 'onest"

Aria was the only one not to laugh. Spotting Ron, he grinned maliciously. He began to bully Ron. She felt a breeze behind her despite there being no wind.

"Might want to get out of the way" she heard Harry whisper in her ear.

Aria took a few steps back, standing next to a tree. A snowball struck the side of his face, wetting his hair. Harry proceeded to hit the guys with snowballs and mud. They thought it was a ghost. Draco glanced around wildly. Aria covered her mouth, her face turning red from holding back her laughter. Crabbe and Goyle swung at the air, attempting to hit the supposed ghost. Harry chucked a stick at Crabbe's back. As he lunged towards Ron, he tripped, knocking the cloak off of Harry's head. Draco and Blaise stared at him, wide-eyed. With a yell, they ran back up the hill. Harry's face paled. Aria pushed him forward.

"Would you run back to the castle? Malfoy will tell the first teacher he sees"

He put the cloak back over his head. Ron looked at her with a worried expression.

"What do we do?"

She reached into her pocket and gave him a stack of sickles. "Go to Zonko's and buy a bunch of stuff. There's an invisibility powder. We can say that you put it over me and I pulled a prank on them for fun"

"How does that explain them seeing Harry?"

"One problem at a time, Ron!"

Aria rushed back to the castle. She used the four-point spell to locate Harry. Snape was reprimanding him in his office. She had hoped that the guys tipped off a less strict teacher like Flitwick. Thinking up a plan, she ran into the room.

"Not now, Shaw. I have to deal with Potter"

She flicked her wand behind her back. Thinking on her feet, she chucked a balloon at him. It exploded, covering him in stinksap. Snape snarled, wiping the stinksap from his face. She flicked her wand again, making his chair slide forward, knocking him to the floor. Before she could get Harry to hide until Ron arrived with the Zonko's products, Snape grabbed the back of her shirt. He forced her to sit in a chair next to Harry.

"I'll deal with you after Potter, Shaw"

The Marauder's map, an enchanted map that let Harry see where anyone was in the castle, laid open on his desk. Snape stood in front of the fireplace and threw floo powder into the flames. He shouted for Lupin to speak with him. In a hushed whisper, Harry explained to her that the map had insulted Snape when he attempted to read it. A few seconds later, Lupin emerged from the fireplace. His eyes rested on Aria and Harry. Snape showed him the map. Aria remembered Sirius telling her about the map. He, Lupin, Harry's father, and Pettigrew created it when they were students at Hogwarts.

"This parchment is clearly full of dark magic. This is your area of expertise, Lupin. Where could Potter get such a thing?"

"Full of dark magic? I doubt it, Severus. It seems that it simply insults anyone who reads it. A Zonko's product, perhaps?"

"You don't think it more likely that he got it _directly from the manfacturers_?" replied Snape, gritting his teeth.

Lupin asked if Harry or Aria knew the people mentioned on the map. Both shook their heads. The door burst open and Ron entered the office. He was panting heavily, clutching a Zonko's bag.

"I gave Harry that stuff…ages ago. Bought it in…Zonko's" he said, catching his breath.

Ron used Aria's cover story, claiming that he met Aria earlier in the day at Hogsmeade. He had given her the invisibility powder and she used it to trick the Slytherins. When Snape questioned Draco seeing Harry, she lied that she was great at illusion charms. Lupin backed up her lie, claiming to teach her the charm himself. Snape did not look pleased. He gave Aria a warning about respecting the teachers. Lupin led the three of them up to the entrance hall.

"Professor, I" started Harry.

"I don't want to hear explanations. I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago. I don't know how you got it, Harry, but I am astounded that you did not hand it in to a professor. I'm afraid I cannot give it back to you"

"Did you know the people who made it, sir?"

"We've met. You three should get to dinner. Stay out of trouble"

"Not likely" muttered Ron.

Lupin headed up the staircase. Harry gave Aria an apologetic look.

"You shouldn't have taken the blame, Aaron. It was my fault. Snape didn't believe you"

"He can't prove that you left the castle. Malfoy saw you for a few seconds at most. If I have to prove myself, I can do a pretty good illusion charm to fool them"

They entered the Great Hall. Aria waved at them and sat at the Slytherin table. Draco was watching Harry, getting increasingly annoyed. He expected him to be in trouble for sneaking out of the castle. After dinner, Draco lied that he and Aria were going to the pitch for quidditch practice. He brought her to the abandoned corridor and opened one of the last doors. The room had more than enough space to practice dueling. She took out her wand from her jeans pocket. Draco was rubbing his shoulder in pain.

"No one ever taught you how to duel?"

"We had a dueling club last year but it was taught by that incompetent dolt Gilderoy Lockhart. Dueling isn't really taught here. The Ministry doesn't think it's important. Where did you learn?"

"My mother. She was a great duelist"

He looked at her, confused. "Was?"

"It's been ages since she's dueled. She's all about potions now" she lied.

Aria waved her wand, locking the door. She already angered Snape once and did not want him catching her in a duel with Draco.

"So what do you want to learn?"

"To duel…you know, defending myself. It's useful. I know the basics"

His wand flew out of his hand, clattering to the floor. She used a summoning charm. It zoomed into her hand.

"Clearly, you don't. First rule is to never let your guard down"

"You cheated. You're supposed to"

"What, count to 3? That's not how a real duel works. In a real duel, there are no rules and you don't play fair. You said you want to learn defense, meaning that someone is trying to hurt or possibly kill you"

Draco was silent. Aria walked over to him and handed over his wand.

"Show me your stance"

"My what?"

"How you stand in a duel"

He shrugged and raised his arm, lazily. It was clear that the dueling club taught him nothing. He had poor posture and a wide stance. Aria turned him to his side, explaining that it was a smaller target for the opponent. She looked at the hand holding his wand. Moving his hand, she told him to loosen his grip.

"I'll drop my wand"

"You need to think of your wand as an extension of your arm. Is your arm going to randomly drop off of your body?"

"No, but"

"Don't interrupt the teacher"

Draco scowled. After fixing his stance, she stood in front of him.

"Now attack me but don't use any spells. Pretend that you want to strike me. Once you touch me with your wand, we'll go on with the lesson"

"Shaw, I'm not here to wave a stick. This isn't dueling"

"Before you can learn real dueling, you need to practice your form. You don't go into a duel by just waving your wand everywhere and hoping a spell hits. Hit me and no using your other hand. Just your wand"

He started to point his wand at her stomach. She dodged it swiftly. Her wand dug into his throat.

"You're dead"

Aria kept dodging his attacks. Draco was too aggressive. He did not think about his movements. Like most duelists, he used force rather than his mind. After his tenth strike, she pointed her wand at his thigh.

"Dead again"

"My leg? I can live without it"

"There's an artery here. If a wizard was to cut you with a spell, you would lose consciousness in less than a minute. You're not paying attention. Stop just charging me. Think about how you strike. Use your brain…if it exists"

Draco was about to hit her neck. She ducked and pointed her wand between his eyes. To her surprise, his wand was pressed into her stomach. He smirked.

"Got you"

They continued with the lesson. At first, Aria had both of them only use defensive spells. Draco was good at the offensive side of dueling. He could send spell after spell without getting tired. She had just cast an impediment jinx. He was frozen in place. After a few seconds, the jinx wore off of him.

"You said you were moving right. You went left"

"My eyes said I was going left"

"So now I'm supposed to stare into your eyes?"

"This isn't a chick flick, Malfoy. The eyes can give a lot away. If you were watching me, you would've known that I was going left"

"This is boring. Teach me more advanced spells. I'm not a child, Shaw. I can handle it. You're holding back. Have a real duel with me"

"Malfoy, I'm not" she started.

"Are you chicken?"

He made chicken sounds. Her eyes narrowed.

"You're acting like an idiot"

"Actually, I am acting like a chicken. You should know since you are one. It's obvious that you're too scared to duel me"

"I'm not scared of anything"

"Except dueling me. You can admit it, Shaw. I intimidate you"

"I'm more scared of a flobberworm than you. Fine, let's duel for real"

They stood across from each other. Draco started immediately, casting a leglocker curse. She easily deflected it with her shield charm. Their spells went back and forth. Her anger towards him was fueling her. She made a slashing movement with her wand. Draco was tossed across the room, crashing into a desk. She rushed over to him. Blood seeped through his shirt.

"Malfoy, let me"

"Leave it alone, Shaw"

"You're hurt. I have to seal up the cut. I didn't mean to use that spell. I was…"

He unbuttoned his shirt. There was a gash across his chest. The scent of blood filled her nose. She felt her teeth getting sharper. Taking slow breaths, she controlled herself.

"Did your eyes just change color?"

"What? No"

"They looked golden for a second"

"It's just the light in this room. Here"

She waved her wand over the cut. As it slowly healed, she resisted the urge to bite him. He rubbed his shoulder again. His open shirt exposed a dark bruise.

"How did you get that?"

"It's nothing"

She pushed his hand away, seeing a series of cuts and bruises along his arm and down the side of his body. Draco avoided eye contact.

"Why did you really want these lessons? Did your dad do this?"

"No. My dad would never…just forget it, Shaw"

"Forget that you're covered in bruises? That's not likely"

He sighed. "My cousin Orion lives with us. His parents were killed last Christmas while they were on vacation. He just got out of Durmstrang last year and my father let him stay at our manor. He's a bit…violent. He casts curses and hexes on me as a game. Sometimes, he just beats me once I'm already too hurt to defend myself"

"Why don't you tell your parents?"

"Because he threatened to hurt them if I said anything. He's always been a troublemaker. You can't say anything. I only see him on holidays and he'll be gone by the summer, hopefully. Promise you'll keep this quiet. I have a potion to heal the cuts and bruises"

Aria nodded. She thought about his boggart. The whip had been connected to his cousin. She realized that Draco wanted these lessons to defend himself against his attacks. He stood up, fixing his shirt. She decided to end the lessons for tonight. They headed back to the common room.

"You're a good teacher. Thanks for helping me with this…Aaron"

It was the first time that he did not call her by her last name. "Well, you're not hopeless. You still have a bad stance"

He pushed her shoulder lightly, a small smile on his face. "Shut up"

Snape was leaving his office. He questioned why they were walking around after curfew. Draco lied that they had a quidditch practice with Flint in preparation for the upcoming game against Hufflepuff. Suddenly, Aria felt a burning sensation in her chest. She clutched her chest, struggling to breathe. A force tugged at her navel. It was making her move towards the dungeons entrance.

"Aaron, what are you doing?"

Snape blocked her path. He held onto her shoulders. She felt nauseous.

"Please let me go"

"Shaw, what's the matter?"

Aria vomited a large amount of blood. It splattered his robes. The burning sensation intensified. She fell to her knees, coughing up more blood. Snape ordered that Draco return to the common room. She saw him flick his wand. Aria's hands were covered in blood. Tears filled her eyes. Snape was preventing her from leaving the dungeons. This invisible force wanted her to go somewhere. Dumbledore appeared at Snape's side. He waved his wand. The burning sensation ceased. She wiped the blood from her mouth. Carefully, Snape helped her up from the floor.

"Mister Shaw, what did you feel?" asked Dumbledore.

"It felt like my insides were burning. Like someone was squeezing my heart"

"Did you feel as if you needed to be somewhere?"

She nodded, feeling lightheaded. "A summoning spell" he said to Snape.

"I know summoning spells, sir. I don't think a book spews blood everywhere when I summon it" she replied.

"It's a different spell. It's dark magic. A wizard casts it when searching for something or someone. If it is cast on a person, they are forced to go to a specific location. When you fought that control, it caused that reaction. The caster would need something connected to what they seek. I will contact your mother at once. She should be aware of what happened tonight"

Snape led her back to the common room. He suggested that she rest in the common room. She sat on the couch. He conjured a glass of water. As she took a few sips, he watched her.

"That was quite impressive, Shaw. It's not easy to fight a summoning spell"

"I can see why"

"Get plenty of rest. I think it is best if you do not leave the common room tomorrow. Hopefully, this incident will not occur again"

Once he left the room, she leaned her head on a pillow, thinking about who could have cast the summoning spell on her…

* * *

**Thanks for reading :)  
**


	16. A Whole New Game

Ever since the bloody mishap with the mysterious summoning spell, Aria was being watched like a hawk by both professors and her Slytherin friends. The girls panicked, thinking that someone was attempting to kill her. The day after the incident, they doted on him, preventing her from lifting a finger or getting off of the couch in the common room. They acted as if she was a fragile doll. No matter how much Aria protested that she did not need them to coddle her, her objections fell on deaf ears. The guys were even less helpful with her situation. It surprised her when they acted equally cautious after the incident. Draco exaggerated what he saw, making it seem like Aria had been puking up an ocean of blood.

They were sitting in the Great Hall, eating breakfast. Pansy kept her distance from Draco, sitting as far away from him as possible. His return did not improve her mood. They had not spoken one word to each other and Pansy avoided any eye contact. Aria paid little attention to her plate, reading a small leather-bound book. From her bag, she took out a vial of blue powder and an old photo of her. The photo was of her at eight years old in her old room. She placed the photo into a small bowl and covered it with the powder.

"Here, Aaron. I made you a special breakfast" said Daphne.

Aria glanced at her plate. Daphne had used a pancake, scrambled eggs, and bacon to make a little person. She smiled, telling Aria that her mother used to make her a breakfast person when she was sick as a little girl. The pancake had a face carved into it, the eggs resembled a sweater, and the bacon represented arms and legs. Blaise grabbed a piece of bacon.

"Now you only have one arm"

Aria stifled a laugh. Daphne glared, reprimanding him for his childish behavior. As they argued, Aria grabbed a knife near a plate of sausages. She cut the palm of her hand deeply.

"Aaron!"

Tracey's shout caused her to jump and she looked at Tracey like she was insane.

"Scream a little louder. I don't think they heard you in China"

"Why did you just cut yourself?"

"I was"

Aria was cut off by Tracey cupping her face. "Listen to my voice. Don't let the spell control you"

Rolling her eyes, she pushed her hands off of her. "I'm not being controlled, Tracey. I'm doing a spell"

Aria showed them a page in the book. She explained that if done correctly, it would reveal who had cast the summoning spell. Draco glanced at the cover, noting that it was a book about dark magic. He questioned where she found it. Aria had woken up very early this morning and waited for Madam Pince to open the library. She forged Lupin's signature on a scrap of paper and made up a lie to get into the restricted section. Once she found the spell in the book, she grabbed the powder, which consisted of crushed jobberknoll feathers, from Snape's private stores. The spell required a personal item connected to the caster and their blood. Once the powder was burned and the incantation was recited, it would reveal the origins of the summoning spell by spelling out their name in the powder.

The girls looked frightened that Aria could perform the spell incorrectly. Glancing over the page, Theodore mentioned that it was extremely advanced and the author warned a wizard from casting it. She let her blood drip into the bowl.

"Aaron, please don't do this. Dark magic isn't a joke" pleaded Daphne.

"Who's doing dark magic?"

Adrian, Graham, and Miles entered the Great Hall. Daphne told them about Aria's so-called suicidal plan.

"You better be careful. My brother Ethan tried a dark magic spell when he was your age…he almost lost his arm" said Graham.

"No offense but I'm smarter than your brother. I know what I'm doing"

"You all need to relax. I doubt he'll even get it to work"

Aria glared at Adrian, angered that he thought she was not a powerful witch. He shrugged.

"You're not strong enough for dark magic. Even most adult wizards struggle with those spells. Go ahead and try. I need a good laugh"

She conjured a small flame on the tip of her wand. Dipping her wand into the bowl, she set its contents on fire. She waved her hand in a circular motion three times.

"Indico origo" she whispered.

The flames increased in the bowl and Blaise used his hand to cover it from the view of the teachers. After a few minutes, the flames vanished. The powder began to shift, forming the letters _R _and _J_. The Slytherins looked at her, amazed. Aria pursed her lips. She needed more than initials. Before she could attempt the spell again, Draco took the knife. He warned her that dark magic was strenuous and performing the spell again might injure her. She slammed the book shut and stuffed it into her bag.

"Why are you angry? You got it to work"

"They're just initials"

"Better than nothing. Do you know anyone with those initials?"

Aria shook her head. "Lupin's suitcase has those initials. Maybe it was him" said Pansy.

"I doubt that. Besides, whoever cast it was trying to get me out of the castle"

She pointed her wand at the powder. Before Draco could stop her, she recited the spell, putting all of her energy into the words. The powder shifted once more, revealing more letters. It now spelled out _Riven J. _Aria felt extremely tired. She hid it, focusing her eyes on the powder. Daphne snatched her wand.

"If you try that again, I'll tell Snape what you were doing. This is enough to go on, Aaron"

"I'm guessing you don't know a Riven either" said Blaise.

"No"

"Maybe your mother knows him. He could have been hoping to get you as leverage. You said Dumbledore wrote to her about it. Maybe she'll write to you soon and explain what's happening"

"Doubtful" she muttered.

The bell rang, signaling the end of breakfast. She went up to the teachers' table. Snape was in the middle of a conversation with McGonagall.

"Professor, I'm sorry to bother you. I was just wondering if you had any pepperup potion. I'm feeling a little drowsy. I think I might be getting that flu that's going around the school"

He conjured an orange potion. "Are you sure everything is all right, Mister Shaw?" asked McGonagall.

She nodded and drank the potion. In an instant, she was wide-awake and full of energy. She thanked Snape and headed down to Hagrid's cabin for class. Hagrid's appearance was even more ragged than usual. Aria could smell alcohol on his breath. The bags under his eyes indicated that he had been getting little sleep and his cheeks were tear-stained. As she grabbed some lettuce for her flobberworm, she snuck over to Hermione, Ron, and Harry. Hermione told her about the aftermath of Buckbeak's trial. Draco's father persuaded the committee to side with him, leading to Buckbeak's sentence of execution. Hagrid was distraught by the news. As they pretended to rip the lettuce into small pieces, he talked about the trial in a hushed whisper. He stuttered his words between sniffles.

"S'all my fault. Got all tongue-tied. T—they was all sittin' there an' I kep' droppin' me notes. Then Lucius Malfoy stood up an' said his bit"

"It's not your fault, Hagrid. You know how the Malfoys are…I bet that he paid them off to get his way" said Aria.

Ron suggested that the appeal could help overturn Buckbeak's sentence. Aria promised to help them, not wanting Buckbeak to be killed because of Draco's stupidity. After class, they headed back to the castle for Charms. Hagrid was dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief. Aria heard Draco make a nasty comment about him.

"He's pathetic. He's a sorry excuse for a teacher"

Harry and Ron stepped towards him, ready to fight. She pushed Draco, making him trip on the staircase.

"Stop being a jerk" she hissed.

"You can't be a Slytherin and friends with Potter, Weasley, and the mudblood"

"I can do whatever I want, Malfoy. If you don't stop with the little comments, we'll have a duel and I'll embarrass you in front of everyone. We both know who would win"

He stood in front of her, glaring. After a few seconds, he simply scowled and continued up the stairs. They entered the Charms classroom. The board had notes on cheering charms. She doubted even this spell could lift her spirits. As she sat next to Theodore, Draco turned to her.

"Why did you defend them?"

"I wasn't defending them. I have a right to express my opinion, which means I can tell you when you're acting like an enormous git. It's your fault that Buckbeak had that trial"

Flitwick started the lecture. Draco looked at her, incredulously.

"My fault? That oversized chicken attacked me"

"You insulted it after Hagrid told us not to do it"

"So now I'm supposed to care about some bird's feelings?"

"No, you're right, Malfoy. It isn't your fault. You can't be blamed. Sadly, it's not illegal to be that stupid but one look at your family might change that"

"Are you calling me stupid?"

Kids were paying more attention to their heated argument than to Flitwick. Some would turn around in their seats.

"If you have to ask me that, I think you have your answer"

Draco snarled. The classroom door opened and Penelope entered the room. She apologized for interrupting the class and told Flitwick that she needed to escort Draco and Pansy to Dumbledore's office. Reluctantly, Pansy left the classroom with Draco following three steps behind her.

"Why would Dumbledore need to see them?" whispered Blaise.

Daphne turned around in her seat. "I got a letter from my mother this morning. You know we like to talk about what's going on outside of Hogwarts"

"Yea, you're both gossips. Keep going"

"Well, she was at the Ministry yesterday and saw Pansy's father and Draco's father talking. Draco's father signed some document"

"Maybe he has to sell Draco to afford his house. He would look adorable in a little maid outfit" suggested Aria.

The guys sniggered under their breath. Draco and Pansy did not show up for the rest of their classes. After dinner, Aria went to the library. She walked over to Madam Pince's desk. Pince glanced up from her book.

"Here again, dear? Can I help you with something?"

"I was wondering if Hogwarts had student records. You know, information about past students. My dad used to go here but I didn't know him that well. I wanted to see if I could find anything out about him" she said, feigning an innocent expression.

"Follow me"

Aria walked towards the back of the library with Pince. Flicking her wand, Pince made a door appear on the bare wall. She opened it, revealing multiple filing cabinets.

"It's all alphabetical by last name. Much more efficient now that we have these cabinets. Decades ago, the folders were just stacked in little crates…very difficult to organize. Once you're done, shut the door and it will disappear on its own"

"Thank you"

Digging through the files, she searched for any name related to the one that appeared in the powder. She was unsure if the J stood for his last name or a middle initial. Waving her wand, she used a charm to find files with either the name Riven or last names that started with J. A large stack of files piled in front of her. She searched each one carefully. As she tossed away her twentieth file, she spotted one with the name Riven Jones. She put the file in her bag and left the library. Returning to the common room, she saw the guys gathered around a radio, listening to a quidditch match. She grabbed a chair and sat with them.

"England's up by 20 points"

"Awesome"

The referee called a time-out for Germany after one of its players got knocked in the head by a bludger. She looked at the file.

"What's that?" asked Goyle.

"Possibly the guy who cast that summoning spell. The name fits…Riven Jones"

"Doesn't sound familiar" said Blaise.

"Well he went here like ten years ago. He's got a pretty bad record. I think he had more detentions than the Weasley twins. He was a Gryffindor. He was caught outside the castle after curfew a million times"

The file mentioned that Riven had been expelled in his fifth year. He was raised with his little brother by their grandparents. She did not see any possible connection to her.

"There's that Hufflepuff girl in our year, Megan Jones. Maybe they're related"

"Maybe you should stop obsessing over it" said Adrian, writing a Transfiguration essay.

"Mind your business"

"It was a one-time thing, Aaron. Maybe it wasn't even meant for you"

"Well you weren't the one who was puking up blood and feeling like they were about to have their heart ripped out so shut it"

"I'm just saying…if this guy really wanted to summon you, he would have tried it again"

Their conversation was interrupted by Draco entering the common room. Blaise mentioned that they had seen Pansy a few minutes ago but she hurried up to her room, not speaking to anyone. Draco looked preoccupied. He kept running his fingers through his hair.

"What happened? Why did you have to see Dumbledore?"

"To use his floo network to get to the Ministry. We had a talk with our dads. They made another agreement so my dad gets our money back"

Aria gripped the file in her hands. She thought about Sirius's warning a few days after the masquerade ball. He told her to not be surprised if Draco's family was unaffected by her scheme. According to Sirius, his father had many connections and should not be considered a fool. Mr. Malfoy knew how to get whatever he wanted and threats against him rarely worked in his rival's favor. She listened as Draco explained the new agreement. Draco and Pansy were still in an arranged marriage. If Pansy believed that Draco even looked at girls in a manner that she disliked, the agreement would be null and void and the Malfoys would owe their entire fortune to the Parkinsons.

Aria doubted that her same scheme could work twice. Even if a pretty girl seduced him, Draco was not going to risk losing all of his money. Draco described how Pansy was elated with this new deal since it meant that he could no longer sneak around with other girls. To ensure his loyalty, his father had cast a spell on him to monitor his actions. When he proved himself faithful to Pansy, the spell would be removed. The guys teased him about the agreement. Blaise joked that he would not even be able to dance with a girl cousin if Pansy thought she was too pretty.

Getting angrier by the minute, she went up to her room. She chucked one of her books at Draco's mirror, shattering it to pieces. Sitting on her bed, she pulled her knees up to her chest. Aria swore to herself that Mr. Malfoy would not win. She decided that her tactics needed to be even rougher to get her revenge. Torturing Draco would get her nowhere. She was going to now focus her efforts on his father. Flicking her wand, she repaired the mirror. She slammed the door and headed back downstairs. The girls were leaving their room at the same time. Pansy looked the happiest she had been since her initial breakup with Draco.

"Aaron, where are you going?" asked Daphne.

"I uh have to help Lupin with something. I'll be back later"

"You look upset. Do you want to talk?"

"I'm not—Daphne, I'm fine. I really need to go"

Leaving the common room, she twirled her necklace between her fingers. She jumped through the newly made portal and landed outside of an elegant manor. When she knocked on the door, it was opened by a small house-elf wearing a pink tattered cloth.

"May I help you?" the elf asked, politely.

Aria attempted to enter the manor. A spell blocked her, pushing her back on the porch.

"Apologies, miss. There's a protection spell on the manor. You need to be invited in by me or a family member. It is only for the first time you enter the home"

"Periwinkle, is that Lucius?"

A tall blonde woman, who Aria recognized as Draco's mother, walked over to the door. Fake tears brimmed Aria's eyes.

"I—I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am. I got separated from my mother and I'm lost. Could I use your floo network to get back home?"

"Oh you poor thing, of course. Come with me"

Aria stepped through the doorway. She followed Mrs. Malfoy into the drawing room. Going over to the fireplace, she picked up a small pot.

"Let me just refill this with floo powder and you'll be home in minutes"

"You have a lovely home"

Mrs. Malfoy used her wand to fill the pot with floo powder. Aria grabbed a small vase and broke it against her head. Mrs. Malfoy fainted, crumpling to the floor. Aria repaired the vase and locked the petite blonde in the coat closet. She studied Mrs. Malfoy's appearance and used a disguising charm to mimic her appearance. Going into the kitchen, she smelled food cooking on the stove. A salad bowl rested on the counter. Aria assumed Mrs. Malfoy had been in the middle of making dinner. She cut a cucumber into slices and got distracted by a loud cracking sound. Someone wrapped their arms around her from behind. Turning her head, she saw Mr. Malfoy. He kissed her cheek.

"This smells delicious, darling. What are you making?"

"It's a surprise. How was your day?"

"Pierce and I had a little meeting with our children. The money is back in our vault. I will personally make sure Draco does not act foolishly"

"He's a teenage boy, Lucius. I'm sure you were the same at his age"

Squeezing her waist, he chuckled. "You know I was, Cissa…but I was far more discrete. Can I help you with anything?"

"Sure"

As he reached for the bowl of tomatoes, Aria slammed the knife onto his hand, slicing it in half. He cried out in pain. She shoved him into the counter. Waving her wand, she cast an impediment jinx to keep him frozen in place. He was cradling his wounded arm. Aria removed the disguising charms.

"C—Clare"

"Guess again"

His eyes widened. "Aria"

She pierced the knife in his stomach. He let out a low groan.

"Surprised to see me, Lucius? I should tell you that I got quite close to your son. He adored Clare…but you knew that already"

Mr. Malfoy reached for his wand. She twisted the knife and grabbed the wand, tossing it to the floor.

"You ruined everything. You killed my mother and destroyed my life. You took away my happiness and now I'm going to do the same to you"

He chuckled weakly. "You're going to kill me?"

"Killing you would be far too kind. I've been through hell for the past five years. Your torture is going to last at least half that long. When I'm done, you'll be begging for death. This is going to be a whole new game. I'll see you soon"

Aria pointed her wand at his forehead. She cast the imperius curse, telling him that he would forget who had attacked him and would not snap out of his daze until she left the manor. Stopping by the coat closet, she revived Mrs. Malfoy and altered her memory, erasing their conversation. She left the manor and created another portal to return to Hogwarts…

* * *

**Thanks for reading :)**


	17. Attacked

For the past two weeks, Aria mulled over ways to approach Megan Jones, the quiet third year Hufflepuff. She believed that there could be some kind of family connection between her and the wizard who cast the summoning spell. Theodore warned her not to get her hopes up, explaining that Jones was a common last name and Riven could have been muggleborn. The file made no mention of his blood status yet Aria knew that some random muggleborn would not use dark magic on her. Whenever she attempted to talk to Megan, Daphne would get envious, thinking that Aria had a crush on the shy Hufflepuff, or Megan would be surrounded by her friends. Girls at Hogwarts seemed to travel in packs. It was impossible to get one alone without her friends following her.

Aria was sitting in the library with Ron and Harry. Deciding to skip dinner, they were researching information for Buckbeak's appeal. Hermione did not join them, needing to do work for Arithmancy and Muggle Studies. A few days ago, Hermione shocked everyone when she stormed out of the Divinations classroom after getting in a little spat with Trelawney. Even though Hermione dropped Divinations, she was still overloaded with work. Harry claimed that she barely got any sleep, spending late nights in the common room. Ron was reading a book about the psychology of hippogriffs. He scanned its pages for anything that could help Buckbeak's defense. Aria was leaning her head against her hand, reading a book on cases concerning dangerous creatures. Every few minutes, she would glance over at a table where Megan, Cedric, and a few other Hufflepuffs were sitting and doing work. Cedric provided some tutoring for the younger students, aiding them with essays and preparing for exams.

"This book says the same thing as Hagrid. If you insult a hippogriff, it could attack you. Too bad we don't have proof that Malfoy insulted Buckbeak besides what we heard" said Ron.

"I have proof"

Aria reached into her bag and took out her compact mirror. She tapped it with her wand and turned it towards Harry and Ron. The mirror showed Draco's accident, catching every word he said to Buckbeak.

"Bloody brilliant…but why do you have a girl's mirror? That's a little—what are you doing?"

Aria had been watching Megan again. She focused her attention back on her book.

"Nothing"

"You keep staring at that girl"

"I wasn't staring, Ron"

Harry looked at her, surprised. "Do you like her?"

Aria scoffed. "No. I just…it's complicated. I need to ask her something but it's impossible to get her alone. I would have an easier time wrestling the giant squid. Just forget it. We're going to focus on Buckbeak"

Continuing to read, she snuck a few glances at the Hufflepuff table. She barely listened as Harry and Ron discussed the case. Something hit the side of her head. A paper ball landed in front of her.

"Aaron, just go talk to her" said Harry.

She passed the book over to him. "I'll be right back. There's a case in here of a teacher at a Brazilian school who brought in a kelpie for his creature class. The kelpie attacked a few students but it was cleared of all charges because it had been provoked by them"

"That's a good one to use for the appeal. According to this chart of creature classifications, kelpies are listed as even more dangerous than hippogriffs"

Aria approached the Hufflepuff table, thinking of how to talk to Megan. She doubted she could start the conversation with '_Hey, your cousin used dark magic on me'_. Seeing her, Cedric smiled. Aria felt her stomach twist into knots. It was a common feeling she had whenever Cedric smiled or just looked at her.

"Hey Aaron"

"Not here to gloat about how you beat us last week, are you?" asked one of his friends.

"Max, get over it. He beat me fair and square. If Bole hadn't hit that bludger straight at my head, I would've seen the snitch sooner. Do you need help with something, Aaron?"

"Actually, I could uh use a favor. Could you introduce me to her?" she whispered, pointing at Megan.

"Aw, he's got a crush" said a fifth year girl, giggling with her friend.

Aria blushed. "I do not" she muttered.

Cedric rolled his eyes at the girls and led Aaron over to Megan. She was talking to two other Hufflepuff girls in their year, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. The three girls had their Transfiguration books open to a page on the hedgehog to pincushion spell.

"Megan, this is Aaron. He's in your year. I heard he's really good at Transfiguration and thought he could help you out with the _lapifors_ spell you've been having trouble with lately. You could practice on that chair in the corner"

"Sure"

Aria and Megan walked over to the back corner of the library. She practiced the spell with Megan. After multiple attempts, Megan cast it correctly. Aria froze the rabbit in place and returned it to its original form.

"Thanks for helping me, Aaron. I'm awful at Transfiguration. It just makes no sense to me"

"It can be tough. I'm going to be honest, Megan. I sort of had Cedric pair us together. I'm going to ask you something and it might be really awkward or you could get offended"

"A—are you asking me out? Daphne Greengrass has kind of been shooting me death glares lately during classes. I don't want to get on her bad side. She's the school gossip and she could spread a nasty rumor about me"

Megan began to ramble. "N—not that I—I wouldn't say yes. You're cute and"

"Relax, I'm not interested in you like that. Do you know a Riven Jones?"

Her face paled. She stared at the floor, anxiously fiddling with her hands. Stepping closer to Megan, Aria lowered her voice and repeated the question.

"He's my cousin. I haven't seen him since I was like 6 and he got expelled from Hogwarts. My grandfather disowned him and he lived with some older friends. I didn't know he even still went by that name. How do you know him?"

"He visited my mother about her potions. Apparently, he stole some and he gave her a false home address"

"I'm not surprised. He's always been trouble. When he used to babysit me, he would bully me and his little brother Be"

Aria interrupted Megan's little trip down memory lane. "I don't care about siblings or past memories, no offense. Do you know where he lives now?"

"I'm sorry, Aaron. Like I said, I haven't seen him. My mother kept in touch with him but she stopped when he got arrested last year for robbing some manor, feeling like he was a lost cause. I think she still keeps an eye on him. I could write to her and see if she knows anything"

"Megan, that would be great. I really appreciate it"

She returned to Harry and Ron. Harry was writing on a piece of paper as Ron read from a large book. They had at least a dozen pages of notes. Aria spent the rest of dinner with them, gathering information for the appeal.

Aria's interest in Riven waned as she got distracted with the upcoming final exams. All of the professors decided to give them work, destroying any chance of enjoying the Easter holidays. The professors did not seem to care that the exams were still weeks away. Aria was not worried about passing her exams but she got roped into helping the other Slytherins with studying for many hours. Besides the constant work, Snape was requesting her almost every night for help with his potions. When the girls discovered the file on Riven, hidden in Aria's bag, they blabbed to Snape about her obsession with finding out who cast the summoning spell on her. When she was not studying, she was making potions, which kept her busy most of the time. Snape chastised her for using dark magic though she did not receive any punishment. He would tell her that it was not her problem to solve and to appease him, she promised to stop searching for answers.

As the quidditch final between Gryffindor and Slytherin drew nearer, Flint increased their practices to every night. Despite Slythering being in the lead by 200 points, he did not want to risk losing by any chance. He pushed Aria the hardest during practices. His main concern was Harry, who had proved to be a great seeker since his first year. Whenever he saw Aria talking to Harry or any other Gryffindor, he would steal her away, not wanting her to fraternize with the 'enemy'. The rivalry between the two houses reached an all-time high. In the corridors, Slytherins would bully and taunt Gryffindors, especially members of their quidditch team. Madam Pomfrey kept dealing with students from either house being afflicted with hexes and curses.

Aria was fast asleep, appreciating the few hours of rest. She had spent the previous night making multiple potions for Snape, including the wolfsbane potion and invigoration draughts. Her peace was interrupted by a hard sensation knocking against her head. Drowsily, she opened one eye. Flint was in front of her, holding a pillow.

"Get up, Shaw"

She looked at her alarm clock. It was nearly five in the morning. She put her pillow over her head, hoping that he was just in her imagination.

"Go away"

He ripped the blankets from her bed, causing her to crash to the floor. She leaned her head on the wooden boards. Flint told her to meet him outside at the quidditch pitch. He wanted to practice some plays with her before the match. Once he left the room, she struggled to get dressed. Her eyes kept drooping as she brushed her teeth. She walked down to the pitch, resting her head on her pillow. Adrian and Flint were talking, already holding their brooms. Her _Nimbus _was on the ground, next to Flint.

"Planning on holding that pillow while you play?" joked Adrian.

"I don't like being up before the birds. This is ridiculous. I'm a better seeker than Harry. I watched his practices like you told me, Flint. I know all of his tricks"

"I'm not taking that chance, Shaw. Adrian's going to pretend to be Potter for these plays"

"He needs to be a few inches shorter with glasses and a scar"

"Don't be a smartass. During this match, you're not friends with Potter. You do whatever it takes to get that snitch before him"

"Aye, aye, captain. I'll gnaw off his arm with my teeth if I have to" she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

For the next two hours, she practiced with Adrian and Flint. They criticized little movements like her leaning to the right or sitting too far back on her broom. Harry had been going through a similar situation with Oliver, who acted just as crazily competitive as Flint. During a Potions lesson, Harry mentioned to her that Oliver did not want him to be alone with her. When they began to hear people moving around the castle, they stopped practice and entered the Great Hall for breakfast. She sat down at the Slytherin table. As the girls praised Aria, assuring her that she would easily find the snitch before Harry, Draco scrunched his nose and muttered a rude comment under his breath. Pansy smacked his shoulder, telling him to stop holding a grudge.

Aria and Draco had a strange friendship. They were not enemies yet they constantly fought, sometimes over trivial things. The animosity between them stemmed from the fact that Aria was very blunt with him. Unlike most of his friends, she spoke her mind. She would easily tell him if he was acting foolish or insult him if he bullied a student. After yesterday's Transfiguration class, Draco taunted Neville for partially melting his teapot while attempting to turn it into a tortoise. Aria retorted that he was no better, considering his tortoise kept shooting steam out of its backside. Draco did not speak with her for the rest of the day.

"Are you seriously still mad about what I said? You're such a baby"

"Aaron, you're making it worse" said Tracey.

"Well he is a baby. He had no right to say that to Neville. You're no wizard prodigy yourself, Malfoy"

"I don't see you dazzling us with your talents, Shaw" he countered.

"You both need to grow up. Aaron, stop insulting Draco. Longbottom can fight his own battles. Draco, stop getting mad over the silliest things that Aaron says" said Pansy.

Pansy insisted that they apologize to each other. Aria did not want to deal with the girls nagging her. Both she and Draco muttered their apologies. Aria heard loud cheering from the other three tables. The Gryffindor team had just entered the Great Hall. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were supporting Gryffindor in the match.

Flint forced the team to eat multiple helpings of food. Daphne tuned out his incessant quidditch talk with relationship gossip. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"What do you want, Jones?"

Turning around, she saw Megan. She was holding a letter.

"Aaron, can we talk…privately?"

"Why? Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of us"

"Calm down" said Aria, scared that she might throw a knife at Megan's head.

Leaving the Great Hall, Aria and Megan stood by the staircase. Megan handed the letter to her. She explained that it was from her mother about Riven. Though she could not get his current location, her mother knew where the various places he had been staying over the past few months. It would be a good start to finding him. Aria thanked her for her help and returned to the Slytherin table. Daphne kept her eyes on Megan until she sat with her Hufflepuff friends.

"What were you two talking about?"

"Her cousin. Megan wrote to her mother about him and she got a list of places where he's recently stayed"

"You promised Snape you'd stop looking"

"Technically, Megan looked, not me"

After breakfast, they decided to walk around the grounds. The guys gave her tips about how to handle Harry, having watched him for the past three years at quidditch matches. As Draco suggested that she should confuse Harry by pretending to see the snitch, Aria caught a familiar scent in her nose. She recognized it as Pettigrew. It was the first time that she smelled him since he disappeared from Ron's bed. She sniffed the air.

"Aaron, what are you doing?" asked Millicent.

"I think I saw Ron's rat. It's been missing"

"Who cares about a bloody rat? Focus on quidditch" said Draco.

Aria followed the scent, walking past the greenhouses. She stopped at the edge of the forest. Taking out her wand, she flicked it at a boulder. It smashed into pieces, revealing Pettigrew.

"How did you see it there?" asked Blaise, baffled.

Pettigrew was cowering in the grass. Aria noticed that more of his fur had fallen out, leaving small bald patches. Before she could summon him, a wolf with jet black fur emerged from the forest. It was an above average size, being taller than even Goyle . Reading from her father's journal, Aria learned that shifters could be distinguished from wolves based on height alone. They were much larger than a typical wolf, making them even more intimidating. Considering this wolf's size, she sensed it was a shifter. It stepped on Pettigrew's tail with its front paw, its eyes focused on Aria. She felt a slight pain in her chest.

"T—that's a big wolf" said Tracey, hiding behind Blaise.

Draco grabbed a large rock and chucked it at the wolf, hitting its nose.

"Get out of here"

"Would you stop? Has that whole incident with Buckbeak taught you nothing? Stop provoking animals" hissed Aria.

The wolf growled, rearing on its hind legs. They hurried back towards the castle. She heard a loud scream and turned to see the wolf dragging Daphne into the forest. Aria ran after them, clutching her wand. She followed Daphne's scent to a small clearing. Daphne was shaking, her blouse torn and her shoulder bleeding. Pettigrew was still trapped in the wolf's paw. Aria raised her wand. As she started to cast a stinging hex, the wolf began to lunge at her. She quickly changed her spell, conjuring ropes around its body.

"Daphne, go back to the castle. I'll stay with it"

"Aaron, don't do anything. I'm going to get a teacher"

As Daphne ran from the clearing, Aria slipped her wand into her pocket. She bent down to the wolf.

"I know you can understand me. You're a shifter. You grabbed Pettigrew to lure me here on purpose. Shift back and tell me what you want. I'm not untying you"

Suddenly, the wolf broke free from the binds. She jumped back and quickly shifted into a wolf herself. A violent fight ensued. This shifter was much faster and stronger than her. Since a shifter's abilities and strength normally increased with age, she assumed they were older. Her fangs sunk into their back leg. The wolf snarled and kicked her, knocking her into a tree. It pinned her to the ground, its mouth inches from her face. She cried out in pain as he bit her neck then her ribs, nearly breaking them. A jet of red light struck its side, causing the wolf to run deeper into the forest. Aria shifted back as Lupin stood over her. He bent down to her, carefully inspecting her wounds.

"Aria, what happened?"

"I smelled Pe—Scabbers and followed the scent to the forest. A wolf came out…but it was a shifter. They grabbed Daphne so I saved her and it attacked me"

"You need to go to the hospital wing"

"No. I can heal myself"

"Aria, you're seriously injured. Clearly, they're a much more experienced shifter. You should not have fought with them. You're too young"

"I was doing fine. They just caught me off guard" she insisted.

"When it comes to shifters, you can't be reckless. They're dangerous. You could have been killed"

Lupin brought her to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey panicked over her injuries. As she dabbed the scratches on her face with a healing potion, the door burst open and multiple Slytherins hurried into the room. Lupin kept them from going near Aria. Daphne blamed herself, sobbing.

"Can you heal him before the match?" asked Flint, panicked.

"His health is more important than a quidditch match, Mister Flint. He needs his rest" said Madam Pomfrey.

She ushered them out of the room. While she looked in her potions cabinet, Lupin sat next to the bed. He assured Aria that she would be safe. Madam Pomfrey gave her a sleeping draught, knocking out Aria within seconds…


	18. The Vision

Aria's stay in the hospital wing led to Slytherin's downfall at the quidditch final. Draco, being the reserve seeker, took her place yet was not as skilled as her. He had not been at most of the quidditch practices during the week leading up to the match, meaning he did not learn all of Flint's special plays and manuevers that Aria practiced for hours. During the match, he resorted to underhanded tactics to get the snitch. At one point, Draco had even grabbed the end of Harry's broom to slow him down. In the end, Harry caught the snitch, leading to Gryffindor's victory and their house winning the Quidditch Cup. After the match, Flint spent three entire days in his room, sulking over the loss. He was furious at Draco for not getting the snitch but his anger was also directed towards Aria. When she left the hospital wing, she learned that most of the Slytherins shared the same feeling.

The Slytherins partially blamed Aria for their loss to Gryffindor. Aria was considered their best chance at winning since she had proven to be a very talented seeker. Some of the older students considered her foolish for fighting with the wolf to save Daphne instead of having a teacher handle it. Though Aria countered that Daphne could have been injured or possibly killed, they did not seem to care. Aria was repulsed that they cared more about a game than their own housemate. The night she returned to the Slytherin common room, a few older students, including Adrian and Lucian, cornered her. They believed that Aria planned the wolf attack to avoid playing quidditch against Harry, who was her friend. Adrian rudely told her to stop acting the hero because she was not, in his words, a pathetic Gryffindor.

Her friendship with students in other houses did not help her case. Even Blaise and Theodore thought that she had some secret deal with the Gryffindors to allow them to win the match. The hatred towards her reached an all-time high when they prevented her from sitting at the Slytherin table during meals. Getting outcasted by her house, she spent more time in the Gryffindor common room. She did not mind the change since they were far more accepting than the Slytherins.

Aria was in the gym on the ground floor. It had been constructed a few decades ago and was mainly used by the male students who wanted to build muscle. She rarely found girls in the gym unless they played on the quidditch teams. The gym consisted of various pieces of fitness equipment. After the incident with the shifter, she started to go down to the gym early in the morning or late at night. With quidditch over, she was the only one there. While the rest of the students studied for endless hours for exams, she built up her strength. She was seeing little improvement over the past month. No matter how much she exercised, it seemed to have no effect. As Aria hit the punching bag, Sirius entered the gym in his animagus form. He changed back and watched her.

"Preparing for a fight, Rocky?"

"I'm getting stronger in case that shifter comes back"

"Aria, it could have been coincidence that he was there"

"Coincidence that he grabbed Pettigrew and looked right at me? I doubt it. Besides, everyone is busy studying"

"And you're not"

Aria continued to hit the bag. In all honesty, the exams were the last thing on her mind. She did not care about grades or doing the best in the class. The only reason she attended Hogwarts was for protection. She would readily admit that most of the lessons were useless to her. While most students in her year struggled, she could perform the spells with little effort. She was just as good as Hermione, if not better.

"I have more important things on my mind than casting a cheering charm. I've been here for weeks, Sirius. It's not making any difference"

"You're pushing yourself too hard. You're stronger than an average kid at your age…even more than a typical shifter. You'll get stronger as you get older"

"Well I need to get stronger now. I don't need any more time spent in the hospital wing"

As she punched the bag hard, it suddenly snapped off of its chain and fell to the floor. Sirius looked taken aback by her strength. She grinned, pleased that she finally had some progress.

"Aaron?"

Sirius quickly shifted form and left through another door. Harry entered the room. He was carrying a small box in his hands, containing piles of food. She wiped sweat from her forehead.

"Someone's hungry"

"I just ran down to the Great Hall to get some food. I don't think Hermione's eaten in the past few days. She's busy studying grindylows with Ron. Why are you in here? Quidditch is over"

"Yea, I was just—I like to keep fit"

"Looks like it's working. You knocked down the bag"

Harry attempted to lift the bag. He looked at its side.

"200 pounds? You're a lot stronger than you look. Remind me to have you with me the next time Malfoy tries to get Crabbe and Goyle to beat me up. Why don't you come study with us? You could calm Hermione down before she sets Ron on fire for not taking these exams seriously"

"Sure. Let me just get my book and I'll meet you there"

Aria grabbed a bagel from the box and headed down to the Slytherin common room. As the entrance opened, she bemoaned the fact that it was packed from wall to wall. Almost immediately, she was given nasty looks. The third years studied at a back table. Ignoring the death glares, she hurried up to her room and put her DADA book into her bag. Placing the bag on her shoulder, she returned to the common room. A few guys blocked her path.

"Get out of my way"

"Why don't you just pack up the rest of your things and move in with the Gryffindorks? You've been hanging out with them a lot lately" said Flint.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Let's see. I could hang out with a bunch of judgmental prats who blame me when I did nothing wrong and give me death glares when I just pass them in the corridors…or hang out with kids who treat me like real friends. Ooh, tough choice. I'm not going to say it again. Get out of my way"

"If you were a real Slytherin, you wouldn't be anywhere near them" said Damon.

"And if you were a real boy, you wouldn't cry like a little girl all the time, Berrow"

"We should teach you a lesson for costing us that match"

The guys took out their wands. She was not intimidated by them but thought it was unfair to fight six against one. Reaching into her pocket, she grabbed her wand. Daphne hurried over to them, urging them to not fight. Her pleas were ignored.

"Let him fight, Daphne. He thinks he's so tough. He's all talk"

"Oh, I'm far from talk, Pucey" retorted Aria.

"Aaron, please. You'll get hurt" whispered Daphne, concerned.

"Back off" she heard.

Draco and Pansy were walking down the staircase, holding hands. He stood between Aria and the guys.

"You're not doing anything to Aaron. It was my fault that we lost. I threw a rock at the wolf to make it go away but it just got provoked. If I didn't do that, Daphne wouldn't have been attacked and Aaron would have played the match. Stop blaming him for something I did. I was the one who didn't get the snitch before Potter"

Aria did not expect Draco to defend her. He was the last person that she thought would help her in this situation. She was shocked that he admitted to starting the attack by the shifter. Reluctantly, she put her wand back in her pocket. Draco told them that she had not been acting like a hero. She was helping Daphne, her friend.

"I'd like to see what you lot would have done in that same situation. Pucey, you would've wet yourself. Berrow, you can barely cast a stinging hex so you would be no help. If any of you have a problem with Aaron, you've got one with me. Do any of you have a problem?"

The common room was silent. "Then piss off and go back to putting your noses in books"

Damon glared at Aria and followed the guys to an empty table at Adrian's insistence. Aria looked at Draco.

"Why did you do that?"

"You're always saying that I blame others when I did something. This time, I admitted to my mistake. You're my friend and I help out my friends"

"Well…thanks. I should go"

"But Aaron, it's okay to be here now" said Daphne.

"I promised to help with something. I'll see you later"

When Aria entered the Gryffindor common room, she spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione at their usual spot by the fireplace. Hermione was reprimanding Ron for not listening to her explanation of how to handle a hinkypunk. Aria sat next to her on the floor.

"Aaron, here you are. We were worried that the Slytherins may have…it's good that you're in one piece"

"Yea, they stopped being mad at me. I guess they came to their senses"

As they studied for the exam, Aria was distracted with thoughts of Draco. She was torn between thinking he was genuine or looking for an excuse to get a favor from her in the future. A third option popped into her head that he could have been abducted and replaced with an alien overnight. Hermione snapped her fingers.

"Aaron, did you hear me?"

"Yep, loud and clear. That was fascinating"

"You and Ron need to take these exams seriously. You've barely studied, Aaron"

"Magic is supposed to be natural. It's not about studying. You just…do it"

"And that attitude is why you're going to fail"

Around ten, they walked down to the Black Lake. Lupin set up an obstacle course for the exam. He explained each obstacle, including defending themselves against a grindylow, cross through potholes full of Red Caps, wade through a marsh while avoiding confusion from a hinkypunk, then climb into a trunk to battle a boggart. Aria was excited that it was a physical challenge instead of a written test. One by one, the students participated in the obstacle course. Aria went in after Harry, walking through a deep pool of water. As the grindylow neared her, she cast a stunning spell. The grindylow was knocked unconscious. She passed through the obstacle course easily and when she emerged from the trunk, Lupin smiled.

"Excellent job, Aaron. Full marks"

Aria waited for Hermione and Ron with Harry. Ron had gotten confused by the hinkypunk. He dreaded having to tell Hermione, who would admonish for not paying attention to her earlier lesson. Suddenly, Hermione burst out of the trunk, screaming. Her boggart had been McGonagall telling her that she failed her exams and she could not handle it. Aria elbowed Ron's side when he began to laugh. As they headed back to the castle, she spotted a middle-aged man in a pin-striped cloak. Ron whispered to Aria and Hermione that the man was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Aria had never met in person but read about him in the _Daily Prophet_. Her mother never spoke highly of him, calling him a bumbling fool who did not deserve to be in charge of the Ministry. Seeing Harry, Fudge smiled warmly. He greeted him like an old friend. Aria stood behind him with Hermione and Ron, awkwardly watching their conversation.

"Afraid I'm here on unpleasant business. The Disposal of Dangerous Creatures required a witness to the execution of a mad hippogriff"

"Does this mean the appeal's already happened?" questioned Ron.

Fudge turned to Ron, curiously. "No, it's scheduled for this afternoon"

"Then you might not have to witness an execution!"

Aria stamped on his foot. She did not want him to get in trouble for insulting Fudge. The Minister looked a bit bewildered. As the castle doors opened, an elderly man and a tall burly man stepped onto the grounds. The tall man was brushing his hands along the blade of a large axe. Aria thought he seemed familiar but could not remember where she had seen him. Hermione tugged on her arm, bringing her into the castle. Ron was still fuming about Fudge's belief that the appeal was pointless. Hermione assured them that if Hagrid argued his case well, Buckbeak would be found innocent.

"Aaron, are you all right? You were staring at that man"

"I was daydreaming"

Entering the Great Hall, she walked over to the Slytherin table. Pansy was whining about the exam. When she passed through the obstacle course, she got attacked by the grindylow near the end of the pond. She wanted to complain to Snape that Lupin should have warned them ahead of time about the contents of the exam. Aria stuffed her mouth with chicken, not wanting to say anything rude to her.

"What's wrong with Weasley? He looked mad. Is his family so poor now that he has to sleep in a little closet instead of their one bedroom?" asked Draco.

The other Slytherins sniggered. Aria chucked a bread roll at him.

"No. We bumped into Fudge. He's here for Buckbeak's appeal. The executioner is with him"

"Are you serious? We should go watch" said Blaise, excitedly.

They headed up to the Divinations classroom for their last exam. It was a private session with Trelawney where each student had to gaze into a crystal ball. Aria leaned against the wall, bored. She watched as some students buried their noses in their Divinations books. Daphne kept asking random questions, panicked that she would fail the exam. Blaise suggested that they make up a horrific event since Trelawney tended to make grim predictions. When students finished their exam, they would not tell the others what had happened, claiming that it would put them in danger. Parvati and Lavender were the only ones to leave the classroom with wide smiles.

"Aaron Shaw"

Aria climbed the silver ladder up to the classroom. Trelawney was sitting at a table with a large crystal ball. The room had its usual heavy perfume scent and the closed curtains gave it an ominous atmosphere. Aria sat across from her, prepared to make up a compelling story. She stared into the crysal ball, seeing nothing in the swirling white fog.

"What do you see, dear?"

"Oh, I uh…"

Aria noticed a dark figure in the crystal ball. It slowly began to take shape, showing herself tied to a chair. She was covered in cuts and bruises. People in masks stood in front of her and one of them dragged a sprig of wolfsbane against her cheek, burning her skin. The masks reminded her of the death eaters.

"I see myself being attacked by people in masks"

Trelawney looked intrigued. "Very interesting! I questioned if you had the gift, my dear but it seems that you do indeed have the talent to see. That will be all. Very good work"

As Aria stood up from her chair, Trelawney grabbed her arm. Her eyes were unfocused and she began to speak in a raspy voice.

"Professor?"

"When the serpent joins with the moon, destruction will follow. The serpent will rise to victory with the wolf at its side and"

"Professor!" interrupted Aria.

Trelawney snapped out of her daze. She blinked a few times. Aria hurried out of the classroom. Wanting to be alone, she walked out of the castle. Her fingers ran through her hair, thinking about what happened in the Divinations classroom. It looked like Trelawney had an actual vision. Each time she thought about it in her head, she worried that it was related to what she saw in the crystal ball. She bumped into someone, knocking her to the ground. The executioner was in front of her.

"All right there, lad?"

"Yes, sir. I was just…I should have been paying attention"

She stood up, wiping dirt from her jeans. He took out his wand.

"Got a little scrape on your arm. No need to run to the hospital wing" he said, fixing it with a charm.

Aria's eyes focused on the wand, recognizing it as the same one that belonged to the death eater who murdered her mother. He gave her a small nod and continued walking towards Hagrid's cabin…


	19. The Party

The executioner knocked on the cabin door. It swung open, revealing Fudge. He greeted the burly man and let him enter the cabin. Behind Fudge, Aria could see Hagrid's large hands shaking while holding a stack of papers. Aria assumed that they were doing the appeal for Buckbeak's case. Fudge closed the door, blocking her view. Reaching into her bag, she took out her potions kit. Her kit contained some advanced ingredients that she received from Snape for their nightly sessions. Searching the kit, she grabbed the bag of asphodel and placed a few roots into a small glass vial. She waved her wand over the top of the vial.

"Bring life to its end" she repeated, quietly.

As she recited the spell, the outside of the glass vial glowed a light golden color. She hid the vial in her pocket and rushed over to Hagrid's cabin. Not bothering to knock, she opened the door and saw four pairs of eyes staring back at her. Fudge did not look pleased with the intrusion. Hagrid was wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"What is the meaning of this? Young man, you are interrupting important Ministry business"

"I'm here to help with the appeal, sir. I have evidence that can prove"

"You should not be out alone with a killer on the loose"

"I'm not alone. I'm with four adults"

His eyes narrowed at her cheeky comment. He ordered the executioner, calling him Macnair, to escort Aria back to the castle. Macnair grabbed her arm and Aria struggled against his grip. He hissed in pain as her nails dug into his skin, drawing blood. His grip tightened, practically cutting off circulation in her arm. Anger flickered in his eyes and if they were alone, he surely would have harmed her. Macnair threatened to have her thrown into a center for delinquent children. Fudge calmed him down and mumbled to himself about Aria's lack of respect for her elders and her insolent behavior. Aria was forced out of the cabin. She peeked at the vial in her pocket. The asphodel roots were now covered in Macnair's blood, which she had taken during the turmoil she caused just a few moments ago. Once they reached the top of the hill, he let go of her arm.

"Are you going to behave now, lad?"

"I just wanted to help Hagrid. Buckbeak is innocent"

He chuckled. "Oh, you're one of those, are you? An animal lover"

"No. I just don't like seeing innocents get hurt. Do you kill people too, sir?"

"Don't be ridiculous, boy. The Ministry doesn't kill any criminals. They administer the dementor's kiss to those who are considered too dangerous for even Azkaban"

"I didn't ask what the Ministry does. I asked if you kill people…but I think we both know that answer"

They were close to the entrance of the covered bridge. Macnair peered down at her. His harsh facial features made him look like a villain out of a horror movie. Aria stood her ground, not intimidated by his muscular frame.

"I'd watch your tongue. Most people don't appreciate slander"

"It's not slander if it's true. I've seen you murder someone with my own eyes. If you were a real man, you would've done it without the mask covering your face"

"And what would you like, an apology? You've got a better chance of killing me yourself, boy"

"Be careful what you wish for"

She took out the glass vial and dangled it in front of his face. Macnair showed no signs of understanding, taunting her for having a plant sample. Her lips twisted into a small smirk.

"For someone so much older than me, you really know nothing about magic. If you did, you would be very afraid right now because this is your funeral in a tiny bottle"

Aria explained that it was called the wizard's curse. The spell involved asphodel root, a plant commonly associated with death, and blood from the victim. Once the spell was cast on the vial, a single flame enacted the curse, causing the victim to burst into flames until they were just a pile of ash. She had seen it performed when she was nine years old by a middle-aged man outside of a bar. He used it on a woman and caught Aria spying on him. Knowing she stood no chance against the powerful wizard, due to her young age, she promised to keep it a secret if he told her about the spell. It had been a common practice during the Middle Ages, especially by muggles to get rid of witches and wizards. Ministries worldwide banned its use centuries ago but some wizards practiced it in secret. Macnair did not believe her story, implying that she was merely attempting to frighten him.

"Do you want to take that chance?"

She conjured a flame on the tip of her wand and dipped it into the vial. He began to cough violently.

"E—enough!"

Aria lifted her wand, keeping it pointed at the vial. "I don't want your apologies. It won't bring that person you killed back from the dead. If you don't want me to use this vial on you, you need to do something for me"

"I will not be blackmailed by a child"

He moved his wand in a slashing motion. She quickly dodged the jet of silver light and pressed her wand between his legs. His spell struck a nearby boulder, slicing it in half.

"Put your wand on the ground or you can say goodbye to Macnair junior"

Macnair dropped his wand into the grass. She moved her wand against his throat.

"Like I said, I won't use this vial if you do something for me. I want you to tell me everything you know about Lucius Malfoy. I want to know every little detail"

"And how do I know that you won't enact the curse once I do give you this information?"

"Because unlike you, I keep my word. You're not on my hit list at the moment, dung for brains. Why don't we have a seat? I'm sure we'll be talking for a while"

Aria nodded towards a stone bench. Macnair snarled and walked over to it, still having her wand pressed into his neck. She rested a notebook and pen on her lap. With a flick of her wand, she enchanted the pen to write down every word from Macnair's mouth. They had a long conversation about the Malfoys. Aria asked him about a range of topics from Mr. Malfoy's work schedule to his relationships with people in the Ministry. She closed her notebook.

"You've been very helpful today. Oh and before you think of telling anyone about our talk, remember that I have your blood and tracking spells are not that difficult. I am going to keep an eye on you. I'll know who you speak to and what you say to them. If you tell Mr. Malfoy about today, I will dip my wand in this vial and let you burn. Keep that in mind, pal"

Lightly punching his shoulder, she stood up from the bench and walked across the bridge. She headed into the Great Hall for dinner. Everyone was celebrating the end of exams. Glancing over at the Gryffindor table, she noticed a large lump under Harry's shirt. He tapped his foot on the floor, impatiently. Hermione and Ron both looked anxious. She was about to walk over to them until she heard Talia's irritating voice. She linked her arm through Aria's, dragging her over to the Slytherin table.

"Where have you been hiding, cutie?"

"Talia, don't you have someone else you can bother?"

"No. You're my number one guy, Aaron"

"Funny. You didn't talk to me when everyone was treating me like I had killed an innocent bunny and drank its blood"

Talia pouted. Aria shivered when she brushed her fingers against her neck.

"I'm sorry that they gave you such a rough time. I'm here for you"

"That is the last thing I want"

Alec and Rebekah sat down across from them, greeting Aria. From her father's side of the family, she found that she could only tolerate Graham, Alec, and Rebekah. They were too young to understand what their parents had done to Aria and could not be blamed for not knowing the truth. Talia scrunched her nose.

"Go away, little ones. We're busy"

"I think you should leave. Go find another poor guy to stalk"

"You're so funny. You better save me a dance tonight at the party"

She kissed Aria's cheek and walked over to her friends. Disgusted, Aria wiped a napkin on her cheek to get rid of the sticky lip gloss. Rebekah gave her a sympathetic look.

"She really likes you, Aaron"

"That's a sad truth. What party?"

"The Slytherins always have a party to celebrate the end of exams. Draco and the others are helping to set it up. They were looking for you earlier but you disappeared" said Alec, grabbing a piece of chicken.

"Yea, I went down to Hagrid's to help with his appeal. Fudge kicked me out"

"I hope Buckbeak's okay. He doesn't seem that dangerous"

"He's not. He was just a victim of the Malfoy stupidity"

Both Alec and Rebekah laughed, making Aria smile. She sometimes worried that they had no other friends except for each other. When she questioned why they did not talk to the other Slytherins in their year, Rebekah admitted that their father disapproved of the other childrens' families. He did not think they were worthy of being friends with Alec or Rebekah. When most of Slytherin despised her, they were the only ones to talk to her.

"I'm guessing I can't skip this party"

"Nope. You better hope Talia doesn't get you alone. She's known for disappearing with guys at these parties"

After dinner, Aria followed them out of the Great Hall. Draco, Blaise, and Theodore ran over to her, acting like it was Christmas. Draco had a camera in his hand.

"Aaron, here you are. You're going to miss it" said Blaise.

"Miss what?"

"They're going to execute the hippogriff. We're going to sneak down there to get pictures"

"That's vile" replied Rebekah, glaring.

"No, it'll be wicked. Come with us, mate. I know you keep defending that bird but you can't deny it'll be cool to see its head get chopped right off. We can show the pictures at the party"

Aria rolled her eyes at their giddiness. "Lead the way"

They slipped past the professors, hiding in a dark corridor. Once the entrance hall was empty, they went outside, heading down to Hagrid's cabin. The four of them hid behind large boulders. Aria could see Buckbeak tied to a pole in the pumpkin patch. She wished that she could free him but was sure it would only get Hagrid in more trouble. Draco took a picture of Buckbeak.

"We'll do a before and after shot"

"Your compassion astounds me" she said, sarcastically.

"I wonder what they do with the head. Do they just toss it in the forest?" asked Theodore.

"My dad said I could keep it. Maybe we should donate it to the Gryffindor common room" suggested Draco.

The three guys sniggered. Blaise nudged her shoulder.

"Look who's here"

Turning around, she saw Hermione, Harry, and Ron. Hermione looked furious. Draco smirked.

"Come to see the show?"

"You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!"

Hermione backed him against one of the tall boulders, pointing her wand at his throat. Aria watched the scene in front of her with amusement. She expected Ron and Harry to confront him, not Hermione. Ron urged her to not do anything, telling her Draco was not worth their time. She lowered her wand. Draco sniggered. Aria's eyes widened when Hermione punched him across the face. He fell against the boulder, holding his nose. Blaise and Theodore gaped at her. They ran up the hill with Draco, heading for the bridge.

"That image is never leaving my mind. Nice punch, slugger"

"It felt good"

"Bloody brilliant" said Ron.

"What are you three doing?" asked Aria, curiously.

Harry told her that they were going to see Hagrid before the execution. Aria wanted to join them but decided against it, considering she had gotten on Fudge's bad side earlier in the day. She returned to the Slytherin common room. It had been covered in all kinds of party decorations, including streamers, balloons, and tables filled with firewhiskey, butterbeer, and tons of snacks. The third years were grouped around Draco by the fireplace. He was still holding his nose, complaining about Hermione.

"I'm going to get that little mudblood"

"Oh stop whining, you baby. She barely hit you"

Aria used a charm to wipe away the blood. Pansy leaned her head on his shoulder, tracing tiny circles on his shirt with her finger.

"Don't worry about her, Draco. It's a party. We're supposed to have fun"

"You're right. I'll just imagine her face when that hippogriff dies. That cheers me up"

Around 8, the party started in the common room. Aria stayed with the third years, drinking butterbeers and having fun. She laughed at Blaise's spot-on impression of McGonagall. Pansy had pressured Draco into dancing with her. When a slow song played on the radio, she held him so close that they almost looked like one person. Arms wrapped around Aria's neck from behind. She sighed, knowing that they belonged to Talia.

"Hey Aaron. Do you want to dance?"

"I don't dance"

"I can teach you. We could do a private lesson in my room"

"No, it's"

"He'd love to" interrupted Blaise.

He gave a subtle wink to Aria. The other guys whispered to each other, snickering under their breath. Graham patted her on the back.

"Go ahead, mate. Talia's a great teacher"

"But I"

Talia pulled her up the staircase. They entered Aria's room. Aria felt a sense of dread, hearing the lock click on the door. She rubbed the back of her neck.

"Heh, I really don't need lessons. I know how to dance. I'm just not in the mood tonight. Maybe another time"

"You're so innocent, Aaron. I like that about you. Do you really think we're here to dance?" she asked, ruffling Aria's hair.

Aria was taken aback when Talia pushed her down on the bed. Talia straddled her, her hand sliding up Aria's shirt.

"Just relax, cutie. I'm sure Draco has told you how fun I can be…"

"I don't want to have fun tonight. I'll ask nicely. Please get off me"

"You're shy. There's no reason to be nervous. I don't bite…unless you want me to" she said with a giggle.

"Talia, I really shouldn't be telling anyone this but since I'm about five seconds from getting molested…I'm not really a guy. I'm a girl"

Talia smiled and tapped Aria's nose. "You're such a joker"

"I'm serious. I'm a girl. If you get off, I can show you. We can do girl stuff like…do girls compare chest size? I haven't really been a girl for a long time now so I'm kind of at a loss about what you do when you're alone. We could braid each other's hair or talk about how…super mega hot boys are? Do you like unicorns and rainbows?"

Ignoring Aria's rambling, Talia unzipped the back of her dress and slipped the sleeves off of her shoulders. Aria reached for her wand in her back pocket. She cast a stunning spell, knocking out Talia. Aria zipped up her dress and laid her on the bed. Fixing her shirt, she returned to the common room. Adrian messed with her hair.

"He's back. I didn't think you'd do it, Aaron"

"Do wh"

"Yea, we were a little worried about you. We thought you might not like girls. How was she?" asked Blaise.

The guys looked at her, interested. Aria realized that they thought she had hooked up with Talia. She was unsure of what to tell them. Before she could come up with an answer, she heard a dog barking outside. She left the common room and saw Sirius across from the entrance.

"I've found Pettigrew. He was hiding in Hagrid's cabin and Ron has him. This ends tonight, Aria"

"Whoa, wait. You can't do anything right now. Wait until Ron's in his room and I can sneak up there to get Pettigrew"

"I'm tired of waiting. I'm getting him now"

Turning into a dog, he ran out of the dungeons. Aria chased after him, worried that he would get caught by a professor or the dementors. Sirius was dragging Ron by the leg into a hole near the Whomping Willow. Harry and Hermione followed after them, getting attacked by the swinging branches. When they fell through the hole, Aria let out a stream of curses and hurried towards the enormous tree…

* * *

**A/N: On the bottom of my profile page, I put up a link for one of my tumblr blogs. It has graphics for the story for each chapter, showing the major events. So far, I've done up to chapter four. I just got the idea from seeing other people do it on tumblr. I thought it would be a fun way to look at how certain characters are portrayed when I'm writing the story (excuse my amateur photoshop skills). Also, third year is going to be done by the next chapter and then the story will go into the fourth year at Hogwarts. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	20. Three Marauders and a Shifter

When they fell through the hole, Aria let out a stream of curses and hurried towards the enormous tree. The Whomping Willow went into attack mode, swaying its branches at Aria in an attempt to squish her. She was caught in a twisted game of jump rope, dodging branches left and right. As she jumped to evade a low swinging branch, another whacked her in the back, sending her flying into the trunk. She fell into the gap between the roots, landing face-first in a dark compressed tunnel. She stood up, holding her head, banging it on the ceiling. Crouching low, she followed the path. After a few minutes, she spotted a patch of light and caught Sirius's scent. Her heightened senses allowed her to feel Harry's blood boiling, getting her even more anxious about what she would find at the end of the tunnel. She eventually found herself in the grimy hallway of the Shrieking Shack. Lupin once mentioned to her that he would come here once a month for his werewolf transformations.

Aria kept her wand hidden up her sleeve as she walked up a shoddy staircase. Each step created a loud creaking sound that echoed through the hallway. She followed Sirius's scent to one of the rooms and quietly pushed the door, finding a strange sight. Ron was sitting on the floor, clutching his right leg in one hand and Scabbers in the other. Hermione was shaking beside him, her lip bleeding, and Harry was pointing his wand at Sirius, who was backed against the wall. Harry stared down at Sirius with a murderous look in his eyes. Aria flicked her wand, creating an invisible shield to separate them. Four pairs of eyes turned towards her.

"Aaron, w—what are you doing here? Y—you need t—to leave. That's Sirius Black" exclaimed Hermione, her voice trembling.

"I know who he is. I'm here to help"

Aria stood in front of Sirius. Harry glared.

"You're on his side?"

"Harry, put down your wand and just listen to me"

"I don't care what you have to say! You've known about him being here this whole time, haven't you?! You told me how your dad was in Azkaban. I bet he and Black were old buddies and you jumped at the chance to help him. Did you just become my friend to make it easier for Black to kill me?"

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted you. A Slytherin through and through" hissed Ron, angrily.

Grabbing an old pillow from a broken bed, she chucked it at Ron. It struck his head and fell onto the dusty wooden floor.

"Don't start with that Slytherin stuff again. I am your friend. Sirius isn't here to kill Harry. If you three just let me explain, you'll understand why he was here and what really happened to Harry's parents"

Harry raised his wand, pointing it at her chest. "You're just a liar. Move or I'll kill you too!"

"Harry!" said Hermione, shocked.

Aria did not move from her spot in front of Sirius. "I'm not going to fight you, Harry. If you weren't so damn stubborn and didn't jump to conclusions all the time, you wouldn't be ready to murder an innocent person"

He scoffed. "He's not innocent. He's the reason my parents are dead. He slaughtered a dozen muggles and his own friend all those years ago"

She sighed and held up her wand. "If you won't listen to me now, maybe you will some other time. You need to forget that you saw Sirius tonight. Obli"

Her memory charm was interrupted by Lupin entering the room. His eyes scanned each of them then he disarmed Harry, Hermione, and Ron. He caught the wands and walked over to Aria and Sirius. At the sight of his stern expression, she lowered her wand.

"You knew he was here the entire time and did not tell me?"

"Technically, you never asked about him"

She stepped aside, watching the conversation between Lupin and Sirius. The room was filled with a heavy tension. Aria was unsure if Lupin was going to kill Sirius until he questioned someone's whereabouts. She realized that he had been referring to Pettigrew and Sirius pointed towards Ron. Slowly, comprehension dawned on Lupin's face as he worked out the details in his head. Lupin helped Sirius up from the floor and embraced him like a brother.

"No!" cried Hermione.

Her hands were clenched and shaking in anger. She spoke so fast that it was hard to understand her but the furious expression on her face made it clear that it was about Sirius and Lupin's friendship. Lupin attempted to calm her down and stared in silent shock as Hermione outed him as a werewolf. She claimed that she had known since Snape gave them an essay on werewolves when he acted as a substitute professor for DADA class. Ron immediately panicked, acting as though Lupin was about to rip him to shreds. It was a sad truth that wizards held strong prejudices against werewolves and other halfbreeds, regarding them as dangerous. Harry, jumping to conclusions as always, accused Lupin of aiding Sirius to get into the castle. Lupin returned their wands and denied helping Sirius, having no idea that Aria was aware of his presence. The Marauder's Map had shown him that Sirius was in the Shrieking Shack.

Aria leaned against the wall, twirling her wand between her fingers. She had heard the story of the Marauder's map a dozen times by now and tuned out Lupin's account of its creation. Her eyes flickered to Sirius, who was still staring intently at Scabbers. Lupin mentioned seeing Pettigrew on the map as Ron fell down the hole near the Whomping Willow. When he accused Scabbers of being Pettigrew in disguise, the three Gryffindors looked at him like he had gone mental. Harry refused to believe it, pointing out that Sirius killed Pettigrew.

"I meant it but little Peter got the better of me…not this time"

Aria prevented him from going near Ron, pressing her hands against his chest. She let out a low growl, warning Sirius to behave himself. Scabbers squealed and attempted to escape, scratching Ron's face with his tiny paws.

"Sirius, stop it. Sit down or I'll smack you until you are as red as a tomato. Once they know everything, we can take Pettigrew and you can do whatever the hell you want with him"

Ron shook his head, holding Scabbers. "You're all mental. He's Scabbers, not some dead wizard"

"The map doesn't lie, you ginger moron. You're holding Pettigrew. He's an animagus"

"Aaron, that's impossible. I looked up the register for animagi when I was doing McGonagall's essay. He wasn't on that list" explained Hermione.

"Because it's so hard to trick the Ministry" she replied, sarcastically.

Aria groaned as Lupin went into another story about how Sirius, Harry's father, and Pettigrew became animagi to aid Lupin with his werewolf transformations. He told her that Harry, Ron, and Hermione needed the full story to understand everything. She sat on the floor with Sirius, feeling like she was in the middle of kindergarten story time. Waving her wand, she conjured a pop-up book that depicted Lupin's words. She flipped the page, showing a wolf surrounded by a dog, stag, and rat.

"Would you like juice boxes too, children?"

Sirius let out a small snigger. Continuing his story, Lupin told Harry that he felt guilty for never telling Dumbledore that Sirius was an animagus. Snape had been suspicious of Lupin since his first day teaching at Hogwarts. He repeatedly told Dumbledore not to trust him, sure that he was helping Sirius into the castle. There had been an intense rivalry between the Marauders and Snape during their time at school, particularly with Sirius and Harry's father. After Sirius played a trick on him, nearly costing him his life, Snape despised them. The trick involved luring Snape to the Shrieking Shack to catch Lupin becoming a werewolf. Harry's father saved him at the last minute but Snape spotted the transformation and had to swear to keep it a secret.

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you…because he thought you were in on the joke?"

"That's right"

Aria's eyes widened when an invisibility cloak fell next to the door, revealing Snape. His eyes glittered with triumph as he pointed his wand at Lupin. Aria kept one arm in front of Sirius, preventing him from doing anything reckless. Lupin tried to explain what was going on but Snape did not listen, conjuring ropes around his body. The ropes made it difficult to move, causing Lupin to hit the floor.

"Shaw, do not move your wand even the slightest bit. You are not aiding a werewolf" said Snape, seeing Aria raise her wand to perform the counterspell. Sirius and Snape began to bicker as if they were teenagers again.

"Vengeance is sweet. How I hoped I'd be the one to catch you"

"Joke's on you, Severus. If you let me bring that boy's rat up to the castle, I'll come quietly"

"Oh, no need for that. I can call the dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be pleased to see you, Black…perhaps enough to give you a kiss. It's said to be unbearable to witness but I'll do my best" he replied, sounding gleeful.

Sirius's face paled at the thought of the dementor's kiss. Snape ordered them to leave the room. Aria stood between Snape and Sirius.

"Move aside, Shaw"

"No. You're not doing anything to Sirius. He's innocent"

"Just because you are in my house…it does not give you free reign to behave like a fool. It's a pity you've been charmed by this deluded madman"

"The only deluded person here is you. If you take Sirius to the dementors, you're taking me too"

"Ar—Aaron, stop" whispered Sirius.

Aria had lost enough family in her life. Sirius was her godfather, the closest thing she had to a father figure in her life with her own father in Azkaban. She would not let him be taken away from her because Snape was too blinded by a need for vengeance to listen to reason. To her surprise, Harry blocked the door.

"Get out of the way, Potter. You are in enough trouble already"

"Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year when we were alone. If he was helping Black, why didn't he just finish me off then?"

"Do not ask me to understand a werewolf's mind"

Harry looked at Aria, sympathetically. "You're my friend, Aaron. I trust you and I should've believed you instead of thinking you were tricking me. If Aaron thinks Sirius is innocent, I believe him"

Snape was not being swayed by Harry's words. Aria accused him of being a pathetic coward who just wanted to see Sirius dead as some kind of sick justice for the years of bullying. In Aria's anger, she accidentally entered Snape's mind. She saw flashes of Snape being bullied by Sirius and Harry's father, along with a brief sight of a redheaded girl. When she broke out of his thoughts, she saw Snape in front of her, his teeth bared in fury.

"You dare read my thoughts, Shaw?"

"No, I—sir, it was an accident. When I get really angry or—it just happens. I'm not an expert at controlling it. I swear that I"

His wand pressed into her throat. "P—professor" said Hermione.

The tip of his wand glowed bright red. As the spell struck her, Aria's surroundings turned pitch black.

Aria awoke minutes later, finding herself outside the Whomping Willow. Her head was on Hermione's lap. Hermione wrapped her arms around her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Aaron, thank goodness. We were so worried"

"What happened?" she asked, feeling dizzy.

"Snape hit you with a spell. We thought you were a goner, mate. He might've killed you if we didn't all disarm him at the same time. He's still down at the Shrieking Shack" explained Ron.

Aria sat up, rubbing her throat. Lupin was holding onto a short man with small, watery eyes and a pointed nose. His mousy brown was thinning, giving him a large bald patch, and he had a very rat-like appearance. Hermione told her that Lupin and Sirius showed Scabbers turning into Pettigrew. Cornered, Pettigrew admitted to betraying Harry's parents out of fear of Voldemort. They were going to kill him until Harry saved his life, wanting to give Pettigrew to the dementors so that Sirius would be freed from Azkaban.

Harry and Sirius were standing at the bottom of the sloping hill, looking at the castle. Aria noticed a gold chain around Hermione's neck. It was attached to a golden circle with an hourglass in the middle. She recognized it as a time-turner. Pettigrew scurried over to them, begging for them to save him from the dementors. Ron looked repulsed. Aria could only imagine how he felt when he learned that his rat had been a wizard in disguise.

"Piss off, rat" said Aria, shoving him away from Ron.

His back was bathed in the moonlight. Aria glanced up to see a full moon. Her thoughts immediately focused on Lupin, worried that he did not take his wolfsbane potion. Lupin's body went rigid, his limbs shaking. While Sirius attempted to keep him calm, Aria moved her friends to the base of the tree. She told them to stay away from Lupin. Pettigrew picked up Lupin's dropped wand and was about to use it until Harry disarmed him. Before anyone could grab him, he transformed into a rat and disappeared into the grass. Aria stopped Harry from running after him.

"Aaron, he can't get away!"

"You're not risking your neck. We have to get back to the castle now. Move it"

They stopped at the sound of a loud howl. Sirius was thrown off from Lupin as he turned into a werewolf. Lupin bowed his head to the ground. Hermione stepped towards him.

"Hermione, get back here now. Do you people not know how to listen? Does everything I say just go in one ear and out the other?" whispered Aria.

Ron whimpered, balancing on his injured leg. Aria and Harry were holding him steady.

"Professor Lupin?"

He growled, ready to attack. Aria conjured a rope to wrap around Hermione's waist and force her back to their group. She pushed Hermione behind her.

"What the hell did I tell you? I said not to go near him"

"Aaron, I was just trying"

"To get yourself killed? Get up to the castle now!"

Aria unbuttoned her jeans. As she lifted her shirt, they looked at her, strangely.

"What the bloody hell are you" started Ron.

Aria shifted into a wolf and lunged at Lupin, knocking him down the hill. Lupin snapped his long jaws at her. She swiped at his face with her front paw. Not wanting to hurt Lupin, she did not use her full strength. Lupin scratched her shoulder, drawing blood. She heard a strange howl coming from the forest. Lupin ran into the forest with Aria following him. She tackled him to the ground and bit into his neck, subduing him. Cautiously, she dragged him into a clearing near the edge of the forest, ignoring the sudden chill in the air. She shifted back to her normal self and created a barrier around the clearing. It would not disappear until the next morning. Her shoulder was bleeding profusely from Lupin's attack. As she walked back to the castle, she bumped into Snape.

"Go up to the hospital wing, Shaw. I've already brought Weasley, Potter, and Granger there"

"But I"

"I said go"

She returned to the castle and headed to the hospital wing. Ron was lying in a bed, his leg wrapped in a splint. Harry and Hermione were unconscious on beds across from him. She noticed packets of chocolate on their bedside tables. Madam Pomfrey gave Ron a healing potion. He passed out after one sip.

"Mister Shaw, do not tell me you were out there as well" she said, spotting Aria.

"Then we have nothing to talk about"

She patted the bed next to Ron. Reluctantly, Aria sat on the bed and Madam Pomfrey examined her wound.

"This is a nasty scratch but you'll live"

"What happened to Harry and Hermione?"

"The dementors were going after Black and they were with him at the time. Professor Snape got to them just in time"

Harry and Hermione slowly began to stir. Immediately, Harry put on his glasses and headed for the door. Madam Pomfrey stopped him, assuaging his fears about Sirius. She claimed that Sirius would be receiving the dementor's kiss and would not harm anyone. Hearing about the kiss, Aria jumped out of her bed and Madam Pomfrey had to stop her with her other hand.

"Mister Shaw, please. There's nothing to worry about"

"Get out of my way. I have to st"

The doors to the hospital wing opened and Fudge and Snape entered the room. Snape looked extremely pleased with himself. Aria wanted to slap the smug expression off of his face. Harry urged Fudge to free Sirius due to his innocence. Fudge assumed that he was confused and under stress from his recent ordeal with the dementors.

"Sir, it's the truth. He's" said Aria.

"I remember you. You're the little troublemaker from earlier in the day…the one who interrupted the appeal"

"Can we move past that? It's bad enough that you executed an innocent animal. Now you're going to let the dementors destroy an innocent man"

"My dear boy, I suggest you hold your tongue and remember who you are speaking to"

"Obviously, I am speaking to a huge mo"

Aria was interrupted by Hermione stamping on her foot. Fudge narrowed his eyes at her. Dumbledore entered the hospital wing and asked to speak to Harry, Hermione, and Aria privately. Snape did not look pleased that Dumbledore appeared to believe their stories. Fudge told Dumbledore that he would meet him upstairs in Flitwick's office. Once he and Snape left the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey went into her office, Aria followed them, ignoring Hermione's pleas to not do something foolish. She went over to a portrait of a boy with his dog. It was a secret passage that she discovered on the Marauder's Map, leading to the West Tower.

"I open to the clouds"

The portrait swung open, revealing a staircase. She hurried up the stairs and walked out of another portrait. Flitwick's office was across from her. She unlocked the door and entered the room, finding Sirius in a chair with his head in his hands.

"Sirius, come on. I'm getting you out"

"Aria, you need to leave. If Fudge sees you"

"I don't care about Fudge. I'm not letting you get the dementor's kiss"

"I can't just leave. I have no way out of here. They've got guards stationed all over the castle. Macnair keeps checking on me"

"I'll take care of him"

Aria showed him the vial with the asphodel root and Macnair's blood. Sirius's eyes widened.

"Hey!" she said when he snatched the vial.

"Are you insane? Why do you have this? Who taught you how to do this, Aria?"

"Who cares? It'll keep Macnair in line. He'll help you escape if I tell him to do it"

He stared at her, silently. Harry and Hermione appeared outside the window, riding on Buckbeak's back. Hermione opened the window and helped them get onto the large hippogriff. Buckbeak flew up to the top of the tower. As Sirius spoke to Harry, Aria looked at Hermione.

"Dumbledore told you to use your time turner?"

"How did you"

"I saw it when I woke up outside the Whomping Willow. Is that how you've been getting to classes all this time?"

"Yes. It wasn't easy"

"Very sneaky, Miss Granger"

Hermione pushed her shoulder, playfully. Sirius walked over to them.

"Can I speak with Aaron alone?"

"O—of course"

She stood next to Harry, who looked slightly upset. Sirius gripped Aria's shoulder. Tears filled her eyes.

"You're not letting me go with you, are you?"

"Aria" he whispered.

"I don't need to be here, Sirius"

"Yes, you do. Hogwarts is the safest place for you. I'll still visit. I promise that we will get your father out of Azkaban. He's not going to be there forever"

He slipped the vial into her pocket. "Promise me you'll destroy it. It's dark magic. I don't want to see you go anywhere near that path. You're better than that. I'll see you as soon as I can. I'll write to you"

Aria nodded. Sirius flew away from the tower with Buckbeak. Hermione hurried her and Harry back to the hospital wing. Dumbledore was shutting the door. Seeing them, he smiled. Harry told him that they had freed Sirius from the tower. Dumbledore ushered them into the hospital wing and shut the door. The three of them quickly sat on their beds. Madam Pomfrey left her office and conjured a jar of green paste. She rubbed it on Aria's shoulder wound, insisting that Harry and Hermione eat their chocolate. Suddenly, Aria heard a loud yell of rage, followed by angry shouting.

"HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE! THIS HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH POTTER!"

The doors burst open and Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore strided into the hospital wing. Snape resembled a rabid dog minus the foaming mouth. He accused Harry of helping Sirius escape despite Fudge's protests that he never left the ward. Madam Pomfrey agreed, informing Snape that they had been in their beds the entire time.

"There you have it, Severus. Unless you are suggesting that these children are able to be in two places at once, I don't see any point in troubling them further"

Snape headed straight for Aria's bed. "Out with it, Shaw. You and Potter are close friends. You know that he did something. As your head of house, I demand that you tell the whole truth or you'll have detention until you graduate from Hogwarts!"

"The whole truth, sir?"

"Yes" he hissed, seething.

"Well, we were in the Shrieking Shack and you pointed your wand at"

"Not that, Shaw"

"You said the whole truth, sir. I'm sure Professor Dumbledore would love to know about"

"Enough!"

He stormed out of the hospital wing. Aria continued to feign an innocent expression. Once Dumbledore led Fudge out into the corridor, Madam Pomfrey gave Aria, Harry, and Hermione sleeping draughts to get some rest.

A week after they left the hospital wing, students were still buzzing with conversation about Sirius's grand escape. Since none of them had been there, the details were hazy, leading to multiple versions of the story. One thing that everyone knew was that Snape never looked more bitter. He had maintained the same grimace on his face until the end of year feast. Out of his anger, he "accidentally" told students that Lupin was a werewolf, leading to the news spreading throughout the castle in minutes. Lupin resigned, not wanting to put pressure on Dumbledore from angry parents' letters. Like Sirius, he promised to visit Aria often.

If possible, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Aria became even closer from their ordeal on that night. Since they had seen her transformation, she admitted to them that she was a shifter. Hermione helped her explain what a shifter was, keeping Ron and Harry from going into panic mode. They promised to keep her secret to themselves.

Aria was waiting outside of the Hogwarts Express with them. Intrigued by her shifter abilities, Ron asked her all kinds of questions.

"So you've got really good senses, right? If I burped, could you figure out what I ate the night before at the feast by just sniffing?"

She turned to Harry, who was shaking his head. Hermione looked at Ron, disgusted.

"Is he serious?"

"Sadly"

"Ron, that's disgusting"

He shrugged. "What? I'm curious. Can you turn into a shifter by a bite?"

"No but our bites are deadly. If a shifter bites you, you'd be dead within a few days. The only cure is the blood of the shifter who gave the bite. It's why wizards are careful around them…not that there's many left"

"And you haven't bitten Malfoy yet? What are you waiting for, mate? That would be hilarious"

Hermione yelled at him for suggesting the idea. The Slytherins entered the station, carrying their luggage. Aria promised to write to the three Gryffindors over the summer. As she walked over to the Slytherins, Draco looked over at Harry.

"Pity Potter passed all of his classes. I was hoping he'd be gone"

"Hello pot, meet kettle. You barely passed"

He threw her a mocking glare. "Well we're not all geeks like you"

"A geek, huh? Well, I guess your mom likes geeks because she was into me last night"

Theodore and Blaise snickered. Over the past school year, Aria was actually glad to be in the guys' dorm. It made it easier to learn how to act like a guy, including their usual jokes.

"Not funny" he replied as they stepped onto the train.

"She really liked it when I started to recite potion ingredients in her ear. When she heard boomslang skin, she shuddered"

Draco held back a smile at her comment.

"Aaron, don't be gross. I think you're spending too much time with these idiots" said Tracey.

"He's a guy. Why wouldn't he?" asked Blaise.

"Because now he makes stupid jokes like you"

They found an empty compartment towards the end of the train. During the train ride, they joked around and bought snacks from the candy trolley. At the end of year feast, Draco told Aria that she, Blaise, and Theodore would be staying at Malfoy Manor for the World Cup. Aria was eager for the opportunity to mess with his father's head. Once the train came to stop, she grabbed her bag from the luggage rack. The vial with Macnair's blood was hidden among her clothes. Despite Sirius's desire to destroy the vial, she could not bring herself to do it. She was too committed to getting her revenge on Mr. Malfoy and was willing to use any means necessary. As she stepped off of the train, she was bombarded with hugs from the girls and followed Draco over to his mother. She greeted Draco warmly, kissing his cheek. He looked slightly embarrassed.

"Mother, I'm not a child"

"I can't give my little boy a kiss? I missed you, sweetheart"

"Can you not do this around my friends?"

"This must be Aaron" she said, smiling at Aria.

"Very perceptive, mother. Can we go now?"

Mrs. Malfoy apparated them to the manor…

* * *

**A/N: I really appreciate all of the feedback. I have a basic outline for what will happen in fourth year and it will be filled with twists and surprises. Since the World Cup is a big part at the beginning of the book, I decided to put something major happening at the event that will affect Aria. Fourth year is going to delve deeper into the fact that Aria is a teenage girl and the conflicting emotions that come with that change, especially with boys. There have been subtle hints, such as how she acts around Cedric Diggory, and I wanted to expand on that because despite acting like a guy, she is still a girl. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	21. Hallucinations

The summer spent at Malfoy Manor had been an interesting experience, to say the least. Ever since her mother's passing, Aria had become accustomed to a certain lifestyle where she worried that she would not survive each day. The Malfoys were the complete opposite, having everything they desired, including endless wealth. Their manor was half the size of Hogwarts castle, large enough to accommodate the population of a small town. For the first few weeks, Aria found herself getting lost in the manor, struggling to simply find a bathroom. Despite having such a lavish lifestyle, without a care in the world, Draco did not seem to appreciate it, always wanting more things.

Her friendship with Draco proved useful to her ultimate mission of getting revenge on his father. He showed her all parts of the manor, including his father's private study. Aria was able to learn a lot more about his family, helping her to form better plans. When she was not hanging out with the guys, she toyed with his father's head. She had been sending him threatening letters to his office, some of them enchanted with hexes. Though it was not enough to cause serious damage, it did affect him mentally. Aria knew that she was nowhere near strong enough to hurt his father. She had to admit to herself that even with her advanced skill in magic, Mr. Malfoy had decades of experience over her.

Her tactics so far had been mere child's play. To come up with more destructive schemes, she would go into his study late at night to read his books about dark magic and other advanced spells. Sirius's warning about dark magic was a constant reminder in her head to not sink to the death eaters' level. She continued to hold onto the enchanted vial with Macnair's blood as insurance of his cooperation if she needed more information.

Aria was sitting in her room, writing a letter to Sirius. Over the summer, she had been writing to Harry, Ron, Hermione, Lupin, and Sirius constantly. The guys would sometimes tease her, thinking that Hermione was her girlfriend. Blaise warned her not to let Daphne see the letters or she would find Hermione's house and curse her in her sleep. Sirius's letter had arrived early this morning. He was hiding up in the mountains and using his animagus form to sneak into the nearby towns. Aria missed Sirius and regretted that he was still hiding from the Ministry. She would replay the night of his escape in her head and became furious with herself for not keeping a closer eye on Pettigrew. If she had stopped Pettigrew from running, Sirius would be a free man. As she finished her letter to Sirius, telling him about her time at Malfoy Manor, she heard the door open. Draco entered the room, his hair disheveled and falling into his eyes. Holding back a yawn, he told her it was time for breakfast.

Aria gave her letter to Speedy and watched the tiny owl fly out the window. She followed Draco down the staircase towards the dining room.

"So what you were writing, a love letter to Granger?"

"Ha ha. For the hundredth time, she is just a friend. I'm not interested in her like that"

As they entered the dining room, two house-elves scurried past, carrying plates and trays. One aspect of the manor that Aria disliked was the use of house-elves. The Malfoys treated them like servants, having them perform menial tasks like cooking dinner or doing the laundry though their hard work received no appreciation. Periwinkle, who acted as the head house-elf, was struggling to carry a plate of pancakes and a pitcher of orange juice. Blaise and Theodore were busy discussing the upcoming Quidditch World Cup and Mrs. Malfoy was sipping her tea while reading the horoscopes section of a magazine. Aria grabbed both items from the house-elf, placing them on the table. She offered to help Periwinkle set up for breakfast. Mrs. Malfoy glanced away from her magazine.

"Aaron, there is no need for that. Periwinkle is capable of doing that herself. It is her job"

"She just looked like she needed help"

Aria sat across from Blaise and watched the house-elves continue to carry the heavy trays of food. Mrs. Malfoy questioned if she had house-elves in her home.

"No. My mother doesn't believe in that"

"Are you serious? You have to do everything yourself?" asked Blaise, surprised.

"It's not that hard. I don't think we need to rely on them so much"

Draco scoffed, pouring a glass of juice. "Next you'll want to start a rebellion for them so they can get money for their work and sick days. You can be the Saint Potter of house-elves"

The guys sniggered. Aria rolled her eyes at his childish remark. Once Mr. Malfoy entered the room, sitting at the head of the table, they began to eat. Aria secretly watched him as he read the _Daily Prophet_. He mentioned that the aurors were still searching for Sirius and had been scouting towns near his old home.

"Do you think they'll ever catch him?" asked Draco.

"Of course they will. A man can only hide for so long. Black is a fool and he will mess up at some point. Cornelius should do what he should have done when that madman was first found guilty"

"The dementor's kiss?"

"That would be too lenient, Draco. The man deserves death, plain and simple"

Aria could feel her hand shake against her glass and her tight grip created tiny cracks. She was sure that Mr. Malfoy knew the truth about Sirius's innocence since he was a death eater like Pettigrew. When they were at Hogwarts, Sirius told her about how much he despised the Malfoys, especially Draco's father. She imagined casting the cruciatus curse on him a dozen times and hearing his screams for mercy.

"I don't think it's that simple, sir. My mother knew Sirius Black pretty well and she thinks that the aurors won't find him until he wants to be found"

"Does she? What else does your mother say about him?"

"She says that he's a master of disguise. He could be right under their noses and the aurors would never know it. It would be hard to kill him"

Mr. Malfoy raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You believe he can't be killed?"

"Of course not. Anyone can be killed"

She kept her eyes locked with his, not even daring to blink. Mrs. Malfoy chastised her husband for discussing such a morbid topic with children. She changed the subject to Diagon Alley. Their letters for fourth year had arrived this morning and she wanted to take them shopping for supplies before the Quidditch World Cup.

"I have to head into the office so you will need to take the boys yourself, Narcissa. Fudge is having a disagreement with a potions business that provides potions for the auror office when they are on their missions. It looks as though he will need to sever their contract with the Ministry"

"Aaron's mother could help, I bet" said Theodore.

Aria choked on her sausage. Theodore told Mr. Malfoy that her mother worked in the potions trade. When the Slytherins asked about her mother's work, Aria had lied that it was a lucrative shop that aided multiple Ministries and other businesses worldwide. In her head, she repeatedly wished that Theodore would burst into flames to keep him quiet.

"Your mother must be very successful, Aaron"

"I uh guess so. It's really just a hobby to keep her busy. She inherited a lot of money from her parents so it's not like we're struggling to make ends meet"

"Your last name is Shaw, isn't it? I'm afraid I haven't heard of a pureblood family with that name" he said, eyeing her curiously.

"It was changed by my great-grandfather when there was some dark wizard causing problems. Apparently, they had bad blood between them and he had to go into hiding for protection He changed his last name to keep a low profile and we kept it ever since"

"How interesting"

After breakfast, they went into the drawing room. Draco apologized to Aria for his father's questions. He claimed that his father liked to know everything about a person and joked that he would have made a great auror with his interrogation skills. Using floo powder, they left the manor and went to Diagon Alley. Aria landed inside of a cauldron shop. Mrs. Malfoy took out their school letters from her purse. She suggested that they purchase their books first. They headed over to Flourish and Blotts, which was packed with Hogwarts students. Their only new books included _Standard Book of Spells: Grade 4, The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection,_ and _Spellman's Syllabary_, an Ancient Runes book that was only on Aria's list. She walked along the Ancient Runes section and grabbed the book. A petite first year girl with her blonde hair in pigtails was jumping up and down to reach her potions book. Aria took it off of the top shelf and handed it to her. The girl blushed bright red.

"T—thank you"

"No problem. Are you just starting at Hogwarts?"

She nodded. "I'm Emma"

"My name's Aaron. Don't be so nervous, Emma. I bet you're the smartest kid in your year"

Draco, Blaise, and Theodore were using levitations spells to throw books at kids then hid behind the shelves to avoid suspicion. Blaise messed up his levitation charm, causing the book to hit his forehead. He winced in pain, rubbing the sore spot. Draco and Theodore burst into fits of laughter.

"Then again, you might be smarter than kids even older than you"

Emma giggled. "Aaron!"

The guys walked over to her, holding their books under their arms. "Did you see Blaise get hit by that book?"

"I did. You are the poster child for why Hogwarts needs summer classes"

Blaise shot her a playful glare. He looked down at Emma. She cowered behind Aria and whispered goodbye, needing to find her parents.

"I didn't know you like them younger, mate. She's pretty. What are you going to do for a date, coloring books and play dress up?"

"At least my dates don't have to be put under a spell to be near me" she retorted.

"He got you there, Blaise" teased Draco.

They paid for their books and met Mrs. Malfoy outside the shop. Draco stopped dead in his tracks, his face pale. Mrs. Malfoy was speaking with a tall guy with wavy platinum blonde hair and grey eyes. He reminded Aria of a more muscular version of Draco. His leather jacket and dragon-hide boots gave him a tough appearance. Looking at Draco's reaction, she assumed that he was Orion, Draco's cousin and tormentor.

"What's Orion doing here? I thought he got his own place in London" said Blaise.

"He was staying with friends in London. Maybe he's just here to pick up something"

Spotting them by the doorway, Mrs. Malfoy called them over to her. Draco stayed next to the door. Aria nudged his side.

"Hey, relax. He's not going to do anything in front of your mother. If he tries something, I can turn him into an ant and we can hold a magnifying glass over him until his butt catches on fire"

Her comment got her a brief smirk from Draco. He followed her over to his mother and cousin. Mrs. Malfoy explained that Orion would be moving back into the manor for a few months. He had gotten laid off from his job and needed time to get back on his feet. According to Draco, Orion had a job as a Gringotts curse breaker though he doubted Orion, who tended to be lazy, ever did any actual work.

"Orion, you already know Blaise and Theodore. You haven't met Aaron yet. He's a new friend of theirs that transferred to Hogwarts last year"

"It's nice to meet you"

"Transferred to Hogwarts, huh? A bit of a downgrade, isn't it?"

Mrs. Malfoy smiled. "Oh hush, Orion. Hogwarts is a wonderful school"

Orion joined them in getting their supplies. Draco stayed as far away from him as possible. Aria could sense the tension between them. Just from a few minutes of conversation, she found Orion to be even more conceited than most Slytherins, constantly bragging and putting on a 'tough guy' act. Mrs. Malfoy brought them to Madam Malkin's robe shop for dress robes. A few weeks into the summer, Mr. Malfoy told them about the Ministry setting up the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts. It had been disbanded after 1792 due to the long history of accidents. The tournament involved champions from three different schools competing in various tasks and was renowned for being extremely dangerous. Mr. Malfoy gave them inside information on the tournament, including the thousand galleon prize. Aria and the guys expressed interest in trying out for the tournament and were curious on how a champion got selected. According to Mrs. Malfoy, the dress robes would be for a special ball around Christmas. Aria was anxious to do any kind of dancing. She did not want to deal with waltzing or the pressure of having a date. When she first heard about it, she dreaded the idea of Daphne or, even worse, Talia asking her to the ball.

Aria sifted through the multiple racks. Her eyes drifted to a group of fifth year girls looking at dresses. She felt a twinge of envy that she could not dress up like a normal girl.

"Do you need help, dear?" asked Mrs. Malfoy.

"Oh, I um…yea, I'm not that much of a shopper. I haven't actually been to many dances"

Mrs. Malfoy held up a black dress robe with a dark blue vest. "This would look lovely with your eyes"

"I trust your judgment. Thanks"

Aria paid for her dress robes, a pair of black dress pants, a black bow tie, and black dress shoes. She placed the items into a bag with her other supplies. Blaise was flirting with the fifth year girls, using his lame pick-up lines. Aria shook her head at the sight of the girls being charmed by him.

"Blaise is going to end up with 50 dates by the time this dance happens" said Draco with a chuckle.

"Least you've got it easy. Pansy's already your date" replied Theodore.

Draco nodded with a slight grimace. Mrs. Malfoy was speaking to two women near the counter. Blaise returned, looking pleased with himself.

"Your mother's catching up with old friends. They want to go to that tea shop so I graciously offered to stay with you. We'll meet them in an hour" said Orion.

"Graciously offered? I doubt it, Ri. We're not little kids anymore and we don't need a babysitter"

"It's not safe to walk around alone, little cousin. Bad things could happen"

"Fine. We'll stay with you" he muttered.

Orion smirked and led them out of the shop. Aria followed him to a dimly lit alleyway. A rickety sign hung loosely from the wall with the words _Knockturn Alley_. It had a very sullen atmosphere compared to Diagon Alley, consisting of shops for dark artifacts and potions. Aria kept her wand close, wary of the vendors selling suspicious objects. Some of the people in the cramped alley reminded her of the stereotypical witches and wizards in muggle fairytales.

"Why are we here?" asked Theodore, scrunching his nose at a man holding a tray of rat droppings for sale.

"I need to get something. Are you scared?"

They entered _Borgin and Burke's_ and Orion walked over to the counter, speaking with a stooped man with oily hair. A sign behind the counter warned customers to not touch items without permission. She could tell that the items were cursed or enchanted with dark magic. The man went into a back room.

"So I'm curious, Ri…why did they fire you? Was it because you never actually worked?" asked Draco.

Orion glared. "I wasn't fired. I told you I was laid off. Too many workers, not enough money to keep them all"

"No, that's the story you told my mother. I'm not as easily fooled. Were you stealing from the goblins?"

"Keep quiet or we'll play one of our little games"

Draco immediately got quiet, staring at the floor. Aria noticed a bottle of clear liquid. A sign next to it stated that the liquid caused frightening hallucinations for hours and had claimed the lives of thirteen people. She examined the bottle.

"Interested in buying that?" asked one of the workers.

"Possibly. Can you mix this in other drinks?"

"Of course. All you need is two drops and it takes effect"

"How much?"

"20 galleons"

Aria paid for the bottle. The guys were busy talking to Orion. She stood in a corner and took out a compact mirror from her bag. When she flicked her wand, Mr. Malfoy's office appeared in the mirror. He was speaking to Fudge and his lunch was laid out on his desk. She flicked her wand, conjuring his bottle of butterbeer. Following the worker's instructions, she played two drops of the liquid into the bottle and returned it to the office. Once Fudge left, Mr. Malfoy sat at his desk and began to eat, taking a few swigs of butterbeer. Aria closed her mirror and hid it back in her bag. Orion gave the man at the counter a handful of galleons and picked up a small box.

They continued to walk around Knockturn Alley. Draco questioned what he bought at the shop.

"None of your business, little dragon. If you tell anyone I was in there, I'll"

"You'll what? I'm not afraid of you, Ri"

"Draco, don't. You know he has a bad temper" muttered Blaise.

Orion chuckled and stepped closer to Draco. "Look who's gotten tough. What are you going to do, Draco? You don't know how to really duel. They teach you that at Durmstrang. Hogwarts is too soft. They're scared you might cry if you get a little scrape"

"I've gotten a lot better since we last saw each other"

He took out his wand. "Then duel me right here. A real duel. Like you said, you're not a kid anymore. It'll give you a chance for payback for all the times I won our games"

Draco's confidence faltered when he heard Orion's suggestion. He was nowhere near prepared for a real duel. Aria suspected that Orion would cheat to win. He also knew more advanced spells than Draco.

"I—I don't want to"

"I said duel me"

Orion whipped out his wand and made a quick slashing movement. Draco clutched his cheek, hiding a shallow cut. Aria pointed her wand at Orion's chest.

"You want a real duel, tough guy? You got one"

He smirked. "You're going to duel me? Don't you need your mommy here in case you"

She made a circular motion with her wand. A jet of light struck his nose, causing it to bleed. He snarled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. Mrs. Malfoy interrupted their duel. She reprimanded Orion for bringing them into Knockturn Alley.

"They're just children, Orion. It isn't safe for them"

"My mistake, Aunt Narcissa"

"Come along. We need to be heading back"

They returned to the cauldron shop. Aria used the floo powder first, landing in Malfoy Manor. Hearing an anguished yell, she waved her wand, sealing up the fireplace. She followed the yells to Mr. Malfoy's study. He was shirtless, leaning against his desk with his wand pressed into his back. Aria used a few disguising charms on herself. The reflection in one of the portraits showed Draco's face. She tapped her throat with her wand, altering her voice, and entered the study. Mr. Malfoy was panting heavily, looking like he was in immense pain.

"Draco"

"Father, what's wrong?" she asked, feigning concern.

"Draco, I need you to…I believe I've been cursed. There's something in my back. I can't reach it. You need to get it out"

"I—I'll try"

His back was completely bare. The tip of her wand glowed blue. She brushed it against his back, creating a deep gash that started at his shoulders and ended near his waist. He gritted his teeth, holding back a cry of pain. She dipped her wand into the wound, using another spell to make it worse. He turned towards her.

"Draco, that isn't helping!"

"I—I'm sorry. I don't…Father, who would do this to you?"

He mustered a weak laugh. "That's quite a list, isn't it? It does not matter who did this to me. I will find that out in time. Get whatever is in my back. I can feel it moving"

She stared at him, silently. "Draco, did you hear me?"

Her hands cupped his face. She pushed his hair back, looking into his eyes.

"You really couldn't figure out it was me?" she asked, using her normal voice.

"Aria" he hissed, angrily.

Mr. Malfoy raised his hand to grab her. She shoved him roughly, causing his head to slam into the corner of his desk. Blood seeped from the side of his head. He continued to breathe heavily, barely able to stand. She bent down to him.

"This is a fun game, isn't it, Lucius? I am very good at disguising charms. Years of practice. One day, I look like your wife. Today, I'm your son. I can pretend to be anyone in your life and you'd have no idea. You can't even remember enough of that first night to tell people it was me. I'm great at that imperius curse, huh? Every time you try to tell someone, your mind goes blank and you forget…but when you're alone, you know it was me"

"Aria, remove this curse"

Aria smiled. "I don't think so. As much as I would love to see you die, it's not your time yet and I enjoy watching you suffer. I can get you wherever you are, Lucius. At work, at home…there is nowhere safe for you"

She heard Mrs. Malfoy calling her name. "Well I guess our fun is over for now. Until our next game, Lucy"

Aria quickly cast the imperius curse on him and left the study. She changed back into Aaron and hurried to the drawing room, pretending to be frightened. Mrs. Malfoy, Draco, Blaise, Theodore, and Orion were wiping soot from their clothes.

"That is the last time I use their fireplace. It broke right after you went through, Aaron. We're apparating from now on" said Mrs. Malfoy.

"Aaron, what's wrong?" asked Draco.

"I—it's your dad. I came back and I heard him screaming. Someone cursed him and he's really hurt. He thinks that there's something in his back. I think the curse causes illusions in the person's head"

They rushed to the drawing room. Mr. Malfoy was again attempting to use his wand on his back.

"Lucius, sweetheart, there's nothing in your back. It's a curse. We need to take you to St. Mungo's"

"No. I don't need"

"Yes, you do. This is serious. Boys, stay here while I take him to the hospital"

"Can't we come?" asked Theodore.

"No. We shouldn't be long. Tell Periwinkle to get dinner started and we'll be home as soon as the healers reverse this spell"

Mrs. Malfoy apparated out of the study, holding onto her husband. Draco ran his fingers through his hair, looking worried. Orion walked down the hallway and shouted for Periwinkle. Aria assured Draco that his father would recover as they entered the dining room…


	22. Quidditch World Cup

When Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy returned from St. Mungo's, he immediately went into his study for privacy. He had spent the entire night alone, not wanting to discuss what had happened to him. The healer that reversed the curse claimed that it had come from something he ate or drank during the day. Aria was the only one not filled with worry. Mrs. Malfoy had the house elves inspect all of the food in the house, concerned that someone broke into the house and poisoned it.

Draco was caught off guard by seeing his father so helpless. It was the first time that he had witnessed his father in any kind of pain and at the mercy of someone else. Sitting in his room, he had written up a list of possible suspects. He admitted that there were many wizards who would love to see his family taken down a few notches. Orion suggested that it had been someone with a very personal vendetta, considering the effects of the curse. Aria kept her eye on him, not wanting anyone to discover her connection to the incident.

Aria was helping Periwinkle and Bobbin, another house elf who usually handled the family's clothing, pack up items for the World Cup. They would be arriving in the afternoon and rest in a tent until the match later that night. She was confused by some of the items in the suitcases. Mrs. Malfoy had cases filled with make-up and hair care supplies. It made Aria wonder if Mrs. Malfoy understood that they were attending a quidditch match, not a beauty pageant. She folded up a dress and handed it to Bobbin.

"Master Aaron does not need to help"

"Bobbin, I don't mind. To be honest, I needed to get away from Mrs. Malfoy acting like her husband is dying and Draco's lame attempt at being a detective. Sherlock Holmes, he is not"

Bobbin's bat-like ears wiggled as he smiled. Aria picked up another dress and shook her head.

"Why is she packing all of these clothes? We're only there for one night"

"Mistress Narcissa likes many clothes to choose from so she can look her best"

Draco, Blaise, and Theodore left the manor. Blaise touched the tops of her ears.

"I think your ears are getting a little pointy, Aaron. Are you turning into a house elf?" he joked.

"That's the best you've got? You're slacking, Blaise"

"Well Draco thinks he's got a good idea of who cursed his father"

"Let's hear it, master detective" she said, dramatically.

She handed another make-up case to Periwinkle. Draco told her that it could have been Arthur Weasley. He had insane theory that made absolutely no sense. It involved the Weasleys being envious of his family's wealth and position of power wizarding society. As Draco described Mr. Weasley casting a curse on his father's food while he was in a meeting, Aria looked like he had a few too many bottles of firewhiskey. She burst into a fit of laughter.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because you've gone nuts. What does it matter who cursed him? Are you going to hunt them down and beat them up?"

"Well we can't let them get away with it"

"Your mother said she got aurors to look into what happened, right?"

He scoffed. "Those aurors are bumbling idiots"

"Just let it go. You should be glad that the healers could fix him. We could've found him dead"

Their conversation was interrupted by his parents and Orion. Beneath Mr. Malfoy's calm appearance, she could see flickers of anxiety in his eyes. Once the house elves packed everything and Mrs. Malfoy cast a disillusionment charm on their white peacocks, they apparated from the manor and landed in a deserted moor. An elderly man wearing a pair of blue jeans, a sweater with the silhouette of a bird, and a newsboy cap walked over to them. He greeted Mr. Malfoy and questioned if he was feeling well after his bout with the curse. With a dry chuckle, he told the fellow Ministry official that it took more than a silly curse to defeat him. The elderly man glanced at a clipboard in his hands.

"Let's see. Malfoy...ah, second field. Ask for Mr. Payne. You've got your muggle money with you for payment?"

"Of course, Samuel. We'll leave you to your work"

Aria followed Mr. Malfoy through the campground. Thousands of tents were set up with wizards from all over the world. She spotted a few Hogwarts students, including Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff in her year, and Oliver Wood. Most of the tents were normal, looking like they had been purchased in a muggle shop, while others did not do much to hide their magic. A young couple was cooking chicken over a bright green fire.

"Not very subtle, are they?" whispered Aria.

"It's what happens when a large group of wizards get together. They want to show each other up" explained Theodore.

After twenty minutes of walking, they reached a small cabin next to a lake. A sign on the outside of the cabin read _Mr. Payne._

"Narcissa, pay the muggle"

She reached into her purse. "I have the money from Dolores. You know I'm dreadful at this...muggle currency is confusing"

"I can do it for you, Mrs. Malfoy" offered Aria.

"That's very sweet of you, dear. Tell him that we have one tent booked for the night"

Mrs. Malfoy handed her bag filled with pound notes. Aria walked over to the cabin. Mr. Payne was a middle-aged man with stubble on his chin. The dazed expression on his face made her think that he had been hit with frequent memory charms.

"Hi. The name's Malfoy"

"Malfoy...aye, here you are. You're all the way towards the end of the field. You'll see a little sign with your name on it. That'll be 10 pounds"

Aria handed him a ten pound note and he gave her a map of the grounds. The Malfoys, Theodore, and Blaise looked dismayed about having to walk even farther to reach their campsite. They stopped at a large patch of land. Past a group of trees, she could see part of the stadium. Even from a distance, it looked enormous. Periwinkle and Bobbin set up the tent, which was the size of a castle and made of silk. Mr. Malfoy watched them, getting more impatient by the minute. Out of everyone at the campground, the Malfoys had the most ornate tent. It had a garden and fountain with a fence enclosure. Their peacocks were tethered to the fence. The inside of the tent was even more extravagant, reminding Aria of the manor. In the three story tent, they each had their own bedroom, along with a kitchen, bathroom, and living room.

"What, no indoor pool?" she muttered, sarcastically.

"Are you boys hungry?" asked Mrs. Malfoy.

"Could we check out the rest of the campground first?" said Draco, tossing his bag over to Periwinkle, who fell onto her back from the heavy weight.

"Don't get lost and stick together. You don't know who could be wandering around"

"Why not just tie a leash to my neck?" he whispered, annoyed at her coddling.

Aria, Draco, Blaise, and Theodore walked around the campground. Ministry officials kept running past them, struggling to hide any signs of magic. A woman was being yelled at for letting her young daughters ride around on toy brooms. The Irish supporters were made evident by their shamrock covered tents while the Bulgarian tents had moving posters of Viktor Krum. Despite only being eighteen and still in school, he was a seeker on the Bulgarian national team. Aria had seen him in quidditch magazines and thought he was an incredible seeker. Vendors set up stands all along the campground, selling items like enchanted binoculars and dancing shamrocks.

Blaise pointed out a game where the prize was a chance to meet the winning team after the match. The objective of the game was to get three quaffles through the moving hoops. As she watched a burly man started to throw a quaffle, a jet of water sprayed him in the face. The quaffle fell inches short of the middle hoop. Aria guessed that the worker created obstacles to make the game even tougher. She continued to watch others try to win the chance to meet famous quidditch players.

"There's our"

"Favorite Slytherin"

Fred and George were behind her. She crossed her arms.

"You know, it's kind of creepy when you finish each other's sentences"

"Is it" started Fred.

"Really, Aaron?" finished George.

Their clothes were completely soaked. She questioned how they had gotten so wet. Fred told her that some kids had gone swimming in the nearby lake. Cedric was getting out of the lake with Max and other sixth years. Aria's eyes drifted to his abs and she bit her lip lightly.

"Aaron"

Hearing Fred's voice snapped her out of her daze. "What?"

"I asked how it's been staying with the Malfoys. You were making googly eyes at Diggory"

"Googly eyes?" she asked, confused.

Fred batted his eyelashes and made a dreamy expression on his face. It reminded her of girls in movies with a crush on some guy. She struggled to not blush and pushed his shoulder.

"I was not"

"Looked like it. Hey, I don't blame you. He's a dreamy bloke" he teased.

"I was not making any kind of eyes and to answer your question, it's not terrible there"

"We heard about what happened to his dad. Too bad they fixed him up. There could have been one less git in the world" said George.

The sixth years walked over to the game booth. Aria smiled when Cedric greeted her.

"Who did you come here with?"

She got distracted by Draco complaining to the worker in charge of the game. He was being a sore loser, whining that he would have gotten the second quaffle into a hoop if it was not for the obstacles. The worker replied that it was part of the game.

"I've been staying at Malfoy's place with Blaise and Theo. He doesn't like to lose"

"He's a Malfoy. It's in their nature to whine when they don't get their way" suggested Roger Davies, the captain and seeker for the Ravenclaw quidditch team.

Aria ignored Draco's little temper tantrum as he continued to argue with the worker.

"I heard that Ludo Bagman is taking bets for the match. There's a good chance of getting a lot of money" said Max.

Fred and George looked interesting in placing a bet. It led to a discussion of the chances of Ireland or Bulgaria winning the match. Aria was certain that Ireland would be victorious due to their strong team. As they discussed the upcoming match, she heard loud laughter behind her. A group of guys were tossing around a quaffle. She heard them speaking in a foreign language and assumed they did not attend Hogwarts. One of the guys kept hitting the tree near her with the quaffle, narrowly missing her head. Aria was getting angrier each time she heard the quaffle bounce off of the tree.

"I think Ireland's got the best shot. Krum's a great seeker but you need more than one strong player to win"

"I'm still betting on Bulgaria getting the win"

"Max, don't bet. Your dad would flip out if you lost money, especially to Bagman" said Cedric.

Aria chuckled. "Hey, if he wants to blow all of his money, let him. It's his funeral"

The quaffle was about to hit the tree again. Frustrated, she caught it in mid-air. She turned to the foreign guys. Her eyes focused on the one in the middle, who had been playing with the quaffle. He was about seventeen with tousled jet black hair. His dark hair contrasted with his pale blue eyes that resembled the sky on a clear day.

"Look, hot shot, we're trying to talk and you keep bouncing your little ball around so quit it. Stop showing off for the monkeys you call friends and go away"

The guy said nothing, simply staring at her. Aria was unsure if he understood English. She chucked the quaffle, throwing it deep into the lake.

"Have fun fishing it out. Bye"

Some of his friends glared at her and whispered angrily. The guy continued to watch her as he followed them towards the lake.

"Bloody hell, Aaron. You've got a great arm" said George, impressed.

"They were annoying. I'm glad they don't go to Hogwarts"

Aria was tugged back towards the game booth. Draco had a grip on the back of her shirt.

"What are you doing?"

"I saw you throw. I bet you could win. Try it"

"But I don't want to play"

"Aaron, we're friends. Friends do nice things for each other…like helping them to meet famous quidditch players"

She could tell that this was a losing battle. Paying the worker a few galleons, she grabbed the first quaffle. She used her heightened senses to be prepared for any obstacles. His hand moved under the booth. She threw the quaffle with her enhanced strength. The jet of water that emerged from the side of the booth barely affected it and the quaffle passed through the far right hoop. In the second obstacle, the quaffle had to avoid miniature bludgers. She was able to get it through the far left hoop. When he flicked his wand a third time, wooden boards popped up from the bottom of the booth. The boards partially blocked the hoops.

"You've got to be kidding me. What is this?" asked Theodore.

"It's part of the game, lad"

"You're rigging it so no one wins"

Aria glanced around the booth. Taking a chance, she chucked the quaffle hard at a metal pipe on the side. The guys yelled at her for messing up their chance at winning the game. As the quaffle hit the pipe, it bounced off at an angle and broke through a wooden board, flying through the middle hoop. The worker's stunned expression was replaced with one of anger.

"You cheated. You used magic to make that shot"

"Did not. I won so I want my prize or my friend here will never shut up about it" she said, nodding at Draco.

Mumbling curses, he handed her multiple badges. It gained them access to the players' tent for the winning team. After the match ended, they would head over to the tent and show the badges to one of the guards. The guys talked excitedly about the idea of possibly meeting Krum.

"Would you three stop? You're close to wetting yourselves. Let's check out what they're selling"

They spent the next five minutes checking out the merchandise stands. Aria ended up buying a pair of omnioculars and a scarf with the Ireland colors. Returning to the tent, she saw Draco's parents and Orion eating a fancy meal. Draco showed off the special badges.

"You should've seen Aaron. We didn't think he'd make that last shot but he was great" said Blaise.

"That's very impressive, Aaron. Was your father a quidditch player as well?"

"Yea. He was a chaser. I guess I get my talent from him"

As they ate a quick meal, Ministry officials stopped by to converse with Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. It felt as though Aria met the entire Ministry in less than an hour. A deep gong sounded around the campsite as the sun set . Red and green lanterns lit up in the trees, showing a path to the stadium. Mr. Malfoy led them up to the Top Box. They were at the highest point in the stadium, able to see the entire field. It was filled with very important members in wizarding society like Fudge. The Weasleys, minus Mrs. Weasley, Harry, and Hermione were seated in the front row. As Fudge welcomed Mr. Malfoy, she walked over to them, passing by a house elf who had her hands over her eyes in fright. She was introduced to Ron's oldest brothers, Bill, who worked as a cursebreaker, and Charlie, who tamed dragons. Hermione hugged her, happily.

"Aaron, it's so good to see you"

"You too. How has your summer been?"

"Great. Harry and I are staying with the Weasleys. It's been…interesting"

"Fred and George said you won those passes to meet the players. Any chance you could sneak me and Harry in?" asked Ron, hopefully.

"Fat chance, Weasley. You've got a better chance of finding a million galleons in the ground"

Draco, Blaise, and Theodore were moving along the second row to the empty seats. Aria doubted they would let anyone else come with them to the players' tent.

"Ignore them. If we meet Krum, I'll get you an autograph"

Ron's eyes widened. "If you were a girl, I would kiss you right now"

Ginny looked at him, strangely. Aria stifled a laugh. She promised to meet them after the match and sat next to Blaise. Draco did not look pleased that she had been speaking to them but knew he could not change her mind. Mr. Malfoy eyed her suspiciously.

"Aaron, I was not aware that you were friends with Harry Potter"

"Yea, I met him in Diagon Alley right before our third year. I'm not into the whole house rivalry thing"

"Don't try to convince him that Potter's not worth his time. Aaron's really stubborn" said Draco.

Ludo Bagman, an old beater for the Wimbourne Wasps, walked into the Top Box. Aria met him when he wanted to get Mr. Malfoy to bet on the match. Despite his age, he seemed to be stuck in his younger days, acting like a reckless teenager. He tapped his throat with his wand and spoke in a booming voice that echoed through the stadium. As he introduced the Bulgarian team mascots, the stadium was filled with raucous cheers from the men. Aria glanced down to see a hundred beautiful women with long white-gold hair and skin that shined moonbright. She recognized them as veela. Draco, Blaise, and Theodore stood up in their seats, gaping at the women as they danced. Aria scoffed under her breath.

Hermione turned in her seat.

"Can you believe them?" she mouthed, referring to the guys' behavior.

"They're weak" Aria mouthed back, making Hermione laugh.

Once the music stopped, the veela stopped dancing, which was met with angry yells. She watched Hermione pull Harry back into his seat. He had been preparing to jump onto the field.

"Bloody hell, did you see them?" asked Blaise.

"Forget Pansy. I'm marrying one of them" said Draco, ripping up his Irish flag.

"Good luck with that, Casanova. I'm sure they'll be impressed by a 14 year old who still lives with his parents" replied Aria, sarcastically.

His father was not amused by his comment. Mrs. Malfoy patted his hand, assuring him that Draco was not in his right mind. Like Aria, she understood the magical effect of veela on men. It took several minutes before they returned to normal. Bagman announced the Irish team mascots and a large green and gold comet zoomed around the stadium. Squinting, she noticed that it was comprised of thousands of tiny leprechauns. It split into two smaller comets and created a rainbow that arched across the field. Gold coins fell from the rainbow, landing in their seats. As they filled their pockets, she decided against telling the guys that the gold would vanish in a few hours. Both teams flew onto the field. Krum's entrance was met with loud cheers. With the release of the snitch, the match started. It was far more exciting than any match at Hogwarts. Aria could barely keep up with the fast moving players, even with the use of her omnioculars. Krum was very skilled, tricking Lynch, the Irish seeker, to crash into the field.

During the match, the leprechauns were humorous, creating taunting words at the veela with each penalty towards the Irish team. The veela responded by reverting into their other form, their beautiful faces being replaced by bird heads and wings bursting from their shoulders. They threw balls of fire at the leprechauns. While the Ministry wizards rushed onto the field to separate the mascots, Aria focused on the match. Lynch and Krum were both diving down to the field. She could see the snitch glittering below. Neck and neck, they pushed their brooms to their limits. While Lynch crashed into the field for a second time, Krum pulled out of his dive, holding the snitch. Aria cheered, along with half of the stadium. Even though Bulgaria lost, Krum was definitely the star of the match. The Bulgarian team stepped into the Top Box, shaking hands with their Minister and Fudge. Following them, the Irish team picked up an enormous golden cup, lifting it into the air. Aria cheered again, clapping.

Mrs. Malfoy kept Aria close as they descended down the steps. She did not want anyone to get separated in the large crowd. Blaise insisted that they head to the Irish team's tent.

"You boys be careful. Come straight back to the tent when you're done. Behave yourselves"

They passed through the crowd and hurried over to a large white tent on the other side of the field. The Irish team was wiping dirt and blood off of their faces with towels. A very muscular man, who could possibly be half giant, stepped in front of them. Aria showed him the badges and he brought them into the tent. Lynch was sitting at a table while a mediwizard rubbed an orange paste on his nose. The guard introduced them as the prize winners. Still cheerful from their win, they greeted the four teenagers animatedly. Aria received autographs and got to take pictures with the team. For being the actual winner, Moran gave her a special pass that allowed her and a friend to attend their matches for the upcoming season. They listened to Troy discuss one of his tactics.

"Hey, I'm going to head back early. Make sure you don't get any restraining orders against you while I'm gone"

Draco, Blaise, and Theodore nodded, their attention on Troy. She headed back towards the campsite. As she walked along the dimly lit path, she heard a twig snap. She quickly turned, taking out her wand. There was no one else on the path and she passed it off as an animal moving through the woods. Turning back around, she bumped into someone. The annoying guy with the quaffle was in front of her.

"I get that you might not understand English but I don't need to say anything to make you back off"

"I understand English perfectly" he said, speaking with a British accent.

"Then you're just a creep"

He stepped towards her, backing her against a tree. "That throw earlier was very impressive. You don't seem that strong"

"Well don't judge a book by its cover. There's your lesson of the night"

"I am very interested in your cover"

"You're not very subtle"

Moving even closer, he pressed his body against hers. She was taken aback by his actions. This guy did not even talk to her for five minutes and he was flirting with her.

"I wasn't trying to be. My name's Ben"

He leaned down and sniffed her neck. "You smell amazing"

"Well that means my deodorant is working. Ben, not to be rude, but I don't play for that team"

"I see"

"Yea, so if you could just"

"A girl who likes girls. You don't seem like that type"

"Heh, I'm a guy"

Ben gave her a crooked smile. His eyes glinted in the darkness. She was uncomfortable under his gaze. Her disguising charms held up against any kind of enchantments. She would know if they had worn off and revealed her real identity.

"That's something you and I both know is not true. I can smell it on you"

"What does that mean?"

"I'm like you" he said, his eyes turning golden.

Aria was taken aback by his blunt admission. His scent did not match the shifter that attacked her at Hogwarts. She kept her guard up, not willing to trust him even if he was a shifter like her.

"Why does that make you think I'm a girl?"

"Shifters have heightened senses. Girls smell very different from guys. If we focus hard enough, we can see past a disguising charm no matter how well it was cast. I knew it from the first time I looked at you"

"How nice for you. Get off me"

Ben did not move. "What's with the disguise? Who are you hiding from, little girl?"

Glaring, she kneed him in the groin and tossed him into the bushes. "This little girl just kicked your ass"

Aria continued down the path. In the distance, she could see tents catching fire. Four figures levitated into the air. It was the other campground manager and his family, including two small children. The young boy spun wildly. Her eyes widened at the sight of death eaters. They were the ones causing this chaos. One of the death eaters was about to attack a group of children. Aria cast a burn hex. He cried out in pain, dropping his wand and clutching his wrist. She hurried into the woods, looking for anyone familiar. People were running around in a panic. Mr. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, and Percy had joined a few Ministry wizards in fighting the death eaters. Aria reached for her necklace. Before she could create a portal, a jet of red light nearly hit her head. She jumped back, seeing a death eater heading towards her. A blur flashed past him. The death eater clutched his side, his hand covered in blood. Though her mind told her to run as far away as possible, she felt rooted to the ground. An arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into the darkness. Ben had his hand over her mouth, keeping her hidden amongst the trees. She bit deeply into his hand.

"Are you mental?" he asked, rubbing his hand in pain.

"I didn't need your help"

"You're very stubborn. Do you know that? Most girls would say thank you if I saved their life"

"I told you I'm not a girl"

"And I don't believe you. You can trust me"

"You want me to trust you…a guy I just met? I'm not that stupid"

Aria stormed away from him. To her frustration, Ben followed her.

"Give me your hand"

"What?"

"Your hand is cut. You must've cut it when you were running"

"It's nothing"

"If I left it alone, I wouldn't be a gentleman and my grandparents always taught me to be a gentleman"

He grabbed her arm. Waving his wand, he conjured a bandage. He lifted her right hand, exposing a deep cut across her palm, and wrapped the bandage around her wound. She scrunched her nose, not falling for his gentlemanly act. Once he finished tying the bandage, she snatched her hand from his grasp.

"You're a very distrustful person, aren't you? You can't even let someone help you when you're hurt"

"I didn't ask for your help. Why are you bothering me? What, is it some shifter code that we have to be best friends?"

"Let me see your real face"

"This is me. Go away" she hissed.

She leaned against a tree, watching as the death eaters caused more destruction. If she was not worried about them seeing through her disguise, she would be helping the Ministry wizards to get rid of them.

"I know you pretty well"

"Doubtful"

"I know an orphan when I see one. You're all alone. That's why you put up such a wall around people"

Her fists clenched. "You don't know anything about me"

"We have to wait until the death eaters have had their fun. Tell me about you"

"One, I am not telling you anything. Two, how do you know they're death eaters?"

"It's not Halloween and unless the Irish have a creepy way of celebrating…I'm pretty sure these people are death eaters"

A jet of bright green light shot into the sky. The light took the shape of a skull with a snake slithering from its mouth. Aria stared at the symbol, feeling a sense of dread. It was the Dark Mark, a symbol used by the death eaters when they killed someone. At the sight of the Dark Mark, the death eaters apparated away from the campground. The Ministry wizards fixed most of the damage, helping the muggle family and extinguishing flames.

Aria walked back to the Malfoy tent. "Stop following me, you creep"

"I'm making sure you're safe"

She turned towards Ben, glaring. "This is your final warning. Leave me alone. I don't need some shifter godfather to watch over me. I am perfectly capable of protecting myself"

To her confusion, he smiled. She was beginning to think that he had something wrong with his head.

"We're going to be very good friends. I'll see you soon"

"You're not seeing me ever again"

"Au revoir, mon petit loup"

He quickly kissed her cheek and apparated from the campsite. She touched her cheek, frozen in place.

"Aaron? Aaron, here you are!"

Mrs. Malfoy appeared in front of her. She embraced her in a frantic hug and checked her for any injuries.

"Are you all right? We were all very worried when you didn't return with the boys"

Aria silently nodded, unable to speak. Mrs. Malfoy returned her to their tent. Orion was waving his wand to heal a burn on his wrist. He told Draco that he had gotten hurt while saving people from a burning tent. Aria knew that he had been the death eater she hit with the burn hex. There was no doubt in her mind that Mr. Malfoy was also part of the riot. She could barely think about the disarray that occurred only moments ago. Her mind was still reeling from her encounter with the mysterious Ben…

* * *

**Thanks for reading :)  
**


	23. Birthday Surprises

The days following the Quidditch World Cup were filled with widespread panic and confusion. News of the appearance of death eaters and the Dark Mark caused the wizarding community to fear Voldemort's return. The Ministry went into overdrive, sending out multiple articles per day to assure people that they were not in danger. Mr. Malfoy had been at the Ministry from dawn till dusk, meaning he rarely saw his family. He gave them inside information on how Fudge was handling the situation. The Ministry's plan was to get everything back to normal but Rita Skeeter, a gossip columnist, hindered that by constantly sneaking around Ministry offices. Skeeter wrote her own articles, spreading rumors about that night, such as bodies being removed from the campsite and the disappearance of a Ministry official named Bertha Jorkins. Mr. Malfoy confirmed the Jorkins rumor, claiming that she had been missing since early July while on holiday in Albania. He did not seem very worried about her, calling her brainless and spacy.

Mrs. Malfoy decided to distract herself from the terrible incident by planning an elaborate party. According to Draco, her mother loved to throw parties for the elite in wizarding society. Aria saw it as an excuse to schmooze with snooty pureblood families.

She was standing by the window, feeding Hedwig an owl treat. After the World Cup, she immediately sent a letter to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, worried about their safety. She had promised to see them after the match but with all of the chaos from the death eaters, Mrs. Malfoy would not let her leave the tent until the next morning. Hedwig had arrived just a few minutes ago, carrying a letter from Harry. The letter laid open on her bed. Their experience on the night after the match were far worse than hers.

When the Dark Mark had been cast, Ministry wizards surrounded them and accused them of casting the spell. Winky, a house elf who worked for Mr. Crouch, had been found hiding in the bushes with Harry's wand. Cedric's father, at first, believed that Harry cast the spell then tossed his wand aside but stopped when Mr. Weasley pointed out the ridiculousness of the accusation. Towards the end of the letter, Hermione had written how Mr. Crouch treated Winky horribly and it was an injustice when he gave her clothes, essentially firing her. Even through the parchment, Aria could hear the fury in Hermione's voice.

Aria was finishing up a quick reply when Draco, Blaise, and Theodore entered her room. She tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and watched her fly out the window. Speedy was about to follow the snowy owl until Aria grabbed his petite body. He flapped his wings animatedly.

"I think he's got a crush" said Theodore, watching the tiny owl.

"Speedy, it would never work. I'm pretty sure she'd squash you"

"That was Potter's owl, wasn't it?" asked Draco, picking up Harry's letter.

Aria walked over and snatched it from him. "It's rude to read other people's mail. I don't look at Pansy's daily love letters to you"

"I don't want to read Potter's letter anyway. It's probably just filled with his story of being a hero and saving a baby from a tree while fighting those death eaters at the World Cup"

She shot him a mocking glare, placing the note inside one of her books. Mrs. Malfoy wanted them to spend the day outside of the house while she prepared for the party. They headed into the wizarding section of a nearby town. As they looked around a sweets shop, Aria spotted a black dog in the reflection of a mirror. She went outside and followed the dog into a dark alley. Sirius was standing near a dumpster. She crossed her arms, looking at him like he had gone mental.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to get caught?"

"I needed to see you. I was worried after I heard about what happened at the World Cup"

"I'm fine, Sirius"

The expression on his face said that he did not believe her. She sighed.

"Okay, I was a little freaked out by the Dark Mark. I thought it was one of the death eaters having a laugh but when they saw it, they all vanished like scared little puppies. Isn't that strange?"

"Not really. I'd expect it since if he did return, they would be in trouble for abandoning his cause after his disappearance. I think you should leave that house…go stay at the Burrow"

"No. I am not leaving"

"Aria, it isn't safe. You and I both know that Lucius was one of those death eaters at the riot...and I'm damn sure that his nephew was helping them. I know you want revenge for your mother's death but it's not worth putting yourself in danger"

"I'm staying there, Sirius. I'm not afraid of them. They'll never see through my disguise"

She heard Blaise calling her name. Sirius handed her a thin jewelry box, calling it her birthday present. Inside was a black leather bracelet with two charms hanging from it. The charms resembled a dog and wolf. Sirius explained that if she was ever in danger, she could tap the charms with her wand and Lupin and Sirius would immediately find her. He shifted back into a dog and left the alley. She slid the bracelet on her wrist and returned to the sweets shop. The guys questioned where she had gone and she lied that she thought she saw an old friend. When it started to get outside, Draco brought them to a market to pick up some food and drinks for the party. They returned to the manor, carrying bags.

"Aaron, could you go feed the peacocks?"

"What?" she asked, confused.

"I don't feel like doing it tonight"

"Don't the house elves feed them?"

"Nope, I do it all the time. It's my one chore"

Draco took two bags from her. Aria rolled her eyes and walked into the backyard. She had never seen Draco lift a finger in his home. He had the house elves do everything for him. Honestly, she would not be surprised if they picked out his clothes. The peacocks were in a small paddock. She grabbed a bag of grains, seeds, and corn from the shed and poured it into a feeder. After placing the bag back in the shed, she walked into the manor. All of the lights were off, giving the hallway a haunting atmosphere. She felt like she had stepped into a horror movie. As she walked along the hallway, the lights popped on in the ballroom.

"Surprise!"

Her eyes widened, seeing the ballroom packed with Ministry officials and Slytherins. A banner hung across the wall, reading _Happy Birthday, Aaron. _She was still in shock as Daphne, Tracey, Millicent, and Pansy hugged her.

"What's going on?"

"It's your birthday party, silly. Mrs. Malfoy planned everything" said Daphne, smiling.

"How did she know about my birthday?"

"We mentioned it to her when we bumped into her while shopping. Do you like it?"

"It's…really unexpected. I didn't realize that I was friends with so many old people"

Pansy giggled. "She had already been planning the Ministry party and decided to mix them together. Trust me, we made sure they all brought you presents"

The party was much more extravagant than any parties when she was younger. Aria preferred it to be celebrated in a more private setting. She missed the days when her mother would plan a special day for the two of them. Though she appreciated Mrs. Malfoy's gesture, it felt strange to celebrate her birthday with people that she barely even met before tonight. She doubted that any of these Ministry officials could remember her name. While she greeted the many people at her party, she kept an eye out for her aunt or anyone else from her father's side of the family. Daphne allayed her fears when she mentioned that Graham's family was on vacation in Saint-Tropez. Aria went into the kitchen to get a bottle of butterbeer. Periwinkle was picking up a tray of cupcakes.

"Periwinkle, could I have one of those?"

"Of course, Master Aaron. It is your birthday. Have whatever you like"

Aria grabbed a chocolate cupcake with blue frosting. She snuck up to her room and shut the door. Waving her wand, she conjured a star candle and placed it on top of the cupcake. She lit the candle and closed her eyes tightly. Silently making a wish, she blew out the flame.

"That's adorable"

She turned around quickly, seeing Ben leaning against the door. He was dressed in a dark v-neck shirt, accentuating his biceps, and black jeans.

"Are you high?"

"I don't get high anymore. I tried it when I was 15…terrible experience. I accidentally shifted and rolled around in the dirt for hours, swiping my paws at invisible fairies"

"Then you're just incredibly stupid. What are you doing here?"

"My grandfather brought me here while he does some business deals. I didn't want to go at first but when I heard it was your birthday, I couldn't pass up the opportunity"

"Get out of my room"

Ben smirked. "Make me"

"I already kicked your ass once. Don't think I won't do it again"

Aria had not forgotten her encounter with Ben. She found herself more worried about him than the possibility of Voldemort's return. He had easily seen through her disguise and it made her wary that he could attempt to blackmail her. She kept her wand close, ready to attack if necessary.

"Such a hostile little girl. Let's play a birthday game"

"I don't want to play a game with you. Get out of my way"

"You can try to open the door but it's locked with four different enchantments. Everytime you reverse one, I'll just put it back. I'm very quick with spells. So this game…if I say something wrong about you, I remove one enchantment and once all of them are gone, I'll leave the room and stop bothering you. If I'm right about you, I take one step forward. If I get very close, you have to let me see your real face"

Aria scoffed at his idea. She doubted that Ben could know much about her. Even if he was able to use legilimency, she could easily keep him out of her head. She agreed to his pathetic game.

"You're all alone. You've been alone for a while and that's why you have trouble trusting people"

Taking her silence as a correct answer, he stepped towards her. "You're hiding from someone"

She groaned silently as he took another step forward. When he suggested that she was afraid of this person, she shook her head.

"I'm not afraid of anything. Take off one of the locks"

Ben waved his wand. For a few seconds, the door glowed silver. His statements became more vague, allowing him to get closer to her. She was angered by his blatant cheating. He was now just a single step away from touching her.

"You're not playing fair"

"Did we establish that rule before the game? Let's see…you are 14 years old today"

Aria snarled, clenching her fists. He lifted up her necklace from under her shirt. The pendant glittered in the light. His eyes widened slightly. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

"You're a Collins. That's impossible"

"Screw this game. I'm going back down to my party"

Ben apparated, blocking the door. She glared harshly.

"Move"

"You're supposed to be dead. Your funeral was all over the _Daily Prophet_. Everyone thinks you died years ago. Where the hell did you go?"

"What do you care?"

Aria pushed him aside and reached for the door handle. Ben grabbed her arm. She could feel the anger boiling in her stomach. He was getting on her nerves. Forcefully, he turned her towards him.

"Don't touch me" she hissed.

His wand poked her stomach. She felt herself getting much shorter. Her blonde hair grew out, framing her face. Due to her petite stature, she now had to look up at Ben.

"Well this will be easier now"

"Wh"

Ben slung her over his shoulder and walked over to the open window. She angrily pounded her small fists on his back. It had little effect on him. He jumped down to the ground, landing lightly on his feet. She could see her Slytherin friends joking around by the fireplace. Due to the loud noise from the party, they would never be able to hear her. Ben finally placed her down on a stone bench in Mrs. Malfoy's rose garden.

"You have five seconds to run before I rip out your guts through your throat and string them from here to China like Christmas lights"

He chuckled. "You're not as threatening when you look like your normal self. It's like being barked at by a chihuahua. I'm not going to hurt you, Aria"

"Then why did you bring me out here where we're all alone?"

"So no one would see who you really are"

"Well if you didn't take away my disguising charm, I wouldn't have that problem. Why do you care if I'm alive?"

Ben was silent. She started to stand up to return to the party. He pressed down on her shoulder, forcing her back on the bench. Flicking his wand, he cast a soundproofing charm around the garden.

"Aria, I'm on your side. You shouldn't have been alone all this time"

"What are you talking about?"

"There aren't many shifter bloodlines left so it's a close community. My grandparents know about your father's family. They always said your father was the only decent Collins. A few weeks before your mother's death, my grandfather found her and asked that she let him take you"

"You were going to separate me from her?"

"For your protection. He said that she couldn't handle hiding forever, especially when you began to shift. He was right. If your mother listened, you wouldn't be living alone and pretending to be a guy"

"But my mother would still be dead. You're just like my aunt. My mother meant nothing because she wasn't a shifter"

"It's our code to stick together. Shifters come first"

Aria was disgusted with his mentality. She did not see herself as any different from other wizards because of her shifter abilities. Ben urged her to leave Malfoy Manor and stay at his grandparents' home.

"You can't keep this up forever, Aria. When someone like your aunt finds out the truth, they'll lock you in a basement and throw away the key"

"I've been alone for 6 years now. It's worked out fine for me"

"Yea, until it doesn't. Please let me help you"

She stepped closer to Ben, looking into his eyes. "Let me make this clear. I don't need your help, Ben. If you tell anyone about me, you'll be very sorry. Your stupid shifter code means nothing to me"

Aria cast her disguising charms and walked away, leaving him in the garden…

* * *

**A/N: I wanted to contrast Ben and Aria with their ideas about being shifters. While Ben was raised with the idea that shifters take priority over other wizards, Aria does not believe in that same idea. It speaks to her character that she sees herself as a witch first and that her shifter abilities are do not define her. She is not a "damsel in distress" who needs a guy to save her. I also wanted to bring up Ben's ties to her family where he tells her that his grandfather offered a safe haven for Aria. If her mother had accepted, Aria's life could have been very different since she would not be living on the streets or under her disguise as Aaron. Despite that possibly better life, Aria would still have dealt with the loss of her mother, which is something that she has not coped with after all these years.  
**

**Thanks for reading :)  
**


	24. Back to Hogwarts

Aria's 14th birthday had been interesting, to say the least. After leaving Ben in the rose garden, she was forced to make small talk with Ministry officials while avoiding women pinching her cheeks. Tracey assured her that they all had to endure the same situation at Ministry events since they were children. She decided to enjoy the rest of her night, including her presents. It had been the first time in six years since she received actual gifts from people. Though she did not like to believe that she was like the Slytherins, she could not deny that they were her friends. They had their faults, some more than others, but deep down, she cared about them.

Aria was packing her backpack with her belongings in preparation for the train ride to Hogwarts. She felt a bit of excitement for her return to the castle. Hogwarts had become a real home for her. Letters were scattered across her bed. She stacked them into a pile. Her eyes fell onto one from Ben, which was at the very top. Her warning to him did not deter him from attempting to befriend her. Aria struggled with keeping Ben out of her head. She repeatedly told herself that he was nothing but trouble yet felt drawn to him. He was the only other shifter that she ever met, besides her father's side of the family. Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew the truth about her shifter abilities but could not fully understand what she went through, especially during full moons when she fought a strong urge to transform. Her meat cravings had gotten more intense, making it hard to eat anything but meat.

Ben wrote her multiple letters in the span of three days. Despite her insistence that she did not want his help, he continued to offer her a place to stay with his grandparents. She contemplated replying to his letters but her conscious nagged at her, telling her to not trust him so easily. His last letter to her had been slightly cryptic, telling her that he would see her soon. She wondered if he had transferred to Hogwarts and had questioned Mrs. Malfoy about any new transfer students since she had a friend in the education department. Mrs. Malfoy told her that she had not heard of any new students, allaying any of Aria's concerns. Once Aria finished packing, she left her room and walked down the staircase. Orion appeared beside her, making her uncomfortable.

"I know it was you"

"That's a little vague"

He pushed Aria against the railing. Before she could reach into her pocket, his wand was pressed into her chest. A bandage was wrapped around his right wrist. Under the bandage, she could see a faint scar.

"You're the one who hit me with that burn hex. I have to admit, I am impressed. It's been a week and this burn still hasn't healed"

"What do you want, an apology? That's not going to happen. You deserved it"

Orion chuckled. "I wouldn't get so cocky, Aaron. You got the better of me that one time but next time…and there will be a next time, I'll teach you a real lesson. Don't think I can't find you at your precious little school or at Hogsmeade"

"I'm not scared of you"

"You should be"

"You think you're so tough, don't you? Picking on someone like Draco who can't even defend himself. You're pathetic"

His fists clenched in anger. The tip of his wand glowed green.

"Watch your mouth, you little punk. I could kill you with two words"

"I'm shaking" she replied, sarcastically.

Orion grabbed the front of her shirt roughly, pulling her closer to him.

"When we have that duel, only one of us will come out alive. Trust me on that, little Slytherin" he hissed in her ear.

Aria was surprised by the serious tone in his voice. She wrenched herself from his grip and went down to the dining room. Theodore was the only one at the table, looking at the sports section of the _Daily Prophet_.

"Where's everyone else?" she asked, sitting next to him and grabbing a bagel.

"Periwinkle has been trying to wake Blaise up for the past ten minutes. You know how he is in the morning. You've got a better chance of tying up a giant than getting him out of bed. I think Draco's having a meeting with his parents. His dad probably wants to lecture him about keeping Pansy happy"

She glanced over his shoulder, reading an article about Viktor Krum. He talked about his special training sessions for the Bulgarian national team and juggling quidditch with classes at Durmstrang. Theodore showed her an article on the front page. It had a picture of a man with a gnarled appearance. His face was covered with scars and framed by grey, grizzled hair and one of his eyes was replaced by a large prosthetic eye that moved in all directions. Aria could tell that he had seen his fair share of duels. The picture was of Alastor Moody, more commonly known as Mad Eye, a famous auror. Moody claimed that he had been under attack, ambushed by his dustbins. Muggle policemen arrived on the scene, spotting one of the dustbins spewing trash everywhere. The article sounded like a joke, calling him unstable and delusional.

"My dad said he's lost his mind over the years. I bet the_ Prophet _is right and no one was even there" said Theodore.

"Well how many knocks in the head can you get before it does real damage?"

"Draco, we've been over this many times" she heard.

Mrs. Malfoy and Draco were standing in the hallway. Aria could not hear their conversation but got the gist of it from Draco's whiny expression. He kept furrowing his brow and stamping his foot on the floor. Both were signs of Draco wanting something, most likely something expensive.

"What do you think they're talking about?" she asked Theodore.

"Tough to say. What could someone who has everything possibly want?" he joked.

"Bet it has something to do with Harry"

Aria mocked Draco's expression. "Mother, it's not fair. Why does Potter get a Firebolt and I don't have one?" she said, imitating his voice.

"Darling, just because you don't have that broom, it doesn't make you any less special" replied Theodore, putting on a high-pitched tone.

The two of them proceeded to create their own conversation, acting like Draco and his mother. It became harder to keep up with the voices as they burst into fits of laughter. Halfway through their act, Blaise sat at the table and watched them, drowsily.

"But mother, I want it. I deserve it" she whined, bouncing in her seat like a impatient child.

"Yes you do, my little blonde angel"

"Potter's so much cooler than I am. It's not fair. He has this awesome scar and I just have this constant smirk on my face. Is it like a birth defect or something? It never goes away"

As she continued to imitate Draco, Blaise shook his head slightly, mouthing for her to stop. She heard someone clear their throat. Turning around, she saw Mr. Malfoy. She smiled innocently.

"Having fun, boys?"

"Heh, we were just…Aaron, tell him what we were doing" said Theodore, turning his attention to his half-eaten waffle.

"Well, we…you know what they say, sir. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"

Aria was saved from explaining herself by Mrs. Malfoy and Draco entering the dining room. Mr. Malfoy walked over to his wife, greeting her with a light kiss. With the Malfoys distracted, Aria looked at Theodore.

"What was that? You just tossed me to the wolves. Remind me to never bring you to a fight"

"I have your back…just not when Draco's father is involved"

After breakfast, Mrs. Malfoy gathered them into their living room. Speedy was resting on Aria's shoulder. He disliked being stuck in his cage so she used a spell to make it the size of a keychain and placed it in her backpack. Since the Malfoys could not stand being around muggles unless it was absolutely necessary, they would be apparating to the train station. Aria grabbed onto the sleeve of Mrs. Malfoy's dress and in the next instant, she found herself in front of the Hogwarts Express. Mrs. Malfoy kissed each of them on the cheek and wished them a wonderful year at school. Stepping onto the train, they met up with Crabbe and Goyle, who looked even bigger if possible, and found an empty compartment. A few minutes, the girls arrived in the compartment, dragging their trunks. Aria helped them place the trunks in the luggage rack. Pansy sat on Draco's lap and kissed his cheek.

"I missed you, Draco"'

"We just saw each other a few days ago"

Blaise let out a loud cough, which sounded suspiciously like _Be nicer_. Draco got the hint and put his arm around Pansy's waist.

"It felt like a lifetime"

Aria resisted the urge to vomit. She doubted that Draco could keep up this act for very long. At some point, even without her interference, he would screw up his relationship with Pansy. Millicent had her copy of _Witch Weekly _open to an article about Krum.

"He didn't even win but he's all over the papers"

"Because he's amazing, Aaron"

"And really good-looking. Imagine if he went to Hogwarts" said Daphne with a giggle.

Draco rolled his eyes. He began a long rant that diminished Hogwarts, claiming that it was nothing compared to Durmstrang. Apparently, Durmstrang did not accept muggleborn students, believing strongly in blood purity, and one of the classes involved learning dark magic. Draco would have gone to Durmstrang if his mother did not want him so far away from home.

"I don't think you would've been good there. The cold would've stuck that smirk to your face and I hear polar bears can get a bit nasty"

"I hear the headmaster is really strict there anyway. He's not as easygoing as Dumbledore" said Blaise.

Halfway through the train ride, the conversation died down and they went to the bathrooms to change into their uniforms. Aria passed by an open compartment door, seeing Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Ron was balancing a moving Krum figurine on his hand. Speedy flew into the compartment, landing inside Hedwig's cage.

"Sorry. Speedy wanted to see his special lady"

She sat next to Harry. "We might be family soon"

He smiled and joked that Speedy needed to keep his distance. Hermione asked her about her birthday. Aria had received presents from them the day after the party.

"It was pretty good. I had a surprise party. I was very surprised since I didn't know half of the people there"

"Did you get our presents?"

"Yep. You answered my prayers with that planner. Now I can organize my insults to Malfoy. At 6 o'clock, I'm going to call him a stupid git"

Hermione pushed her shoulder as Ron and Harry laughed. Aria glanced down the hallway. It was empty except for a few second year boys.

"Can I talk to you about something?"

"What's wrong? Are the Slytherins turning against you for another foolish reason?"

"No. It's something that happened at the World Cup. I met another shifter"

Aria opened up to Hermione about Ben. She kept out certain details like the fact that Ben knew she was actually a girl. If she was going to tell anyone about him, it was Hermione. She trusted her and knew that she would give good advice.

"He's being really persistent and I just…"

"You don't want to trust him too easily?" asked Harry.

"Yea. I know it sounds lame but"

"It doesn't. You're right to be careful around him. Why is he trying so hard to get you to like him?"

Aria shrugged. She was taken aback when Hermione suggested that she should give Ben a chance. Hermione explained that with shifters being rare and persecuted by the Ministry, it was important to make strong bonds.

"You sound like him. He's all 'shifters come first'"

"Well it's understandable that they want to protect themselves. At least get to know him before you make a judgment, Aaron"

Neville stopped by the compartment and the conversation shifted to the World Cup. Ron went on and on about everything happened during the match.

"We saw him up close. We were in the Top Box"

"For the first and last time in your life, Weasley"

Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing in the doorway. Aria eyed his two lackeys warily, preparing for a fight. With her increased strength, she could easily take them down. If they tried to enter the compartment, she would hit Goyle first.

"Don't remember asking you to join us, Malfoy" said Harry, coolly.

Draco pointed out a maroon covering over Pigwidgeon's cage. Aria thought it looked like an old dressing gown with its lace cuffs and tattered sleeves. When Draco snatched it from the cage, she realized it was a dress robe. She glared as Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle laughed nastily and teased Ron. Blushing redder than his hair, Ron snatched them back. Draco questioned if Ron was going to enter something to get some money for his family. Based on their confused expressions, Aria assumed that the Gryffindors had no idea about the tournament.

"I suppose _you'll_ enter, Potter? You never miss a chance to show off"

"Either explain what you're going on about or leave, Malfoy" said Hermione, annoyed.

Draco smirked. "Don't tell me you don't know? You've got a father and brought at the Ministry and you don't…my father told me about it ages ago. He heard it directly from Cornelius Fudge himself but then, he's always associated with the top people at the Ministry. Maybe they don't discuss important matters in front of your father, Weasley"

Aria stopped Ron from getting up from his seat. She pointed her wand at Crabbe and Goyle.

"Alright tweedle dee and tweedle dum, back to your cage"

The two gorillas walked down the corridor. She looked at Draco and nodded her head. He scoffed, following them.

"Ignore him, Ron. I don't think your robes are that bad"

"Thanks, Aaron"

"You'll be the prettiest girl there" she teased.

As Harry snickered, Ron chucked a box of cauldron cakes at her head. She caught them in mid-air.

"Free snack. You're a pal. " she said with a wink.

He made a rude hand gesture at her, causing Hermione to hit his lap with her book. Aria returned to the Slytherin compartment, opening the cauldron cakes. Sitting down, she noticed Draco glaring at her.

"If you want one, just ask"

"I don't need you treating me like a child"

"I'll stop when you act your age, not your IQ"

"Guys, don't start" started Tracey.

"We were having a laugh"

"First of all, those two laugh at anything so technically, you were the only one really laughing. Second, you weren't funny. If I recall, you were like two seconds away from having even less money than Ron last year"

He scowled. "Don't even joke about that. I'd rather kill myself than sink that low"

For the rest of the train ride, Draco was being temperamental. He disliked how Aria would put him in his place, especially in front of Harry. The return to Hogwarts was dampered by the heavy downpour outside. Aria cast an impervius charm to keep the rain from getting them wet. After a quick carriage ride, they hurried through the castle doors. She reversed the charm.

"Good. You're safe"

"Oh, thanks, Aaron" said Daphne.

Aria reached into her pocket, taking out the cauldron cakes. "I was talking about these"

Daphne smacked her shoulder with her purse. Aria assured her that she was joking. She gave her one of the cakes as a peace offering.

"Daph, you caved too easily. You could've bribed him with a kiss" said Blaise.

Peeves was hovering above the large crowd, dropping water balloons. Tracey squeaked in fright as one almost landed on her head. She clung to Theodore for protection.

"I wouldn't trust him, Tracey. From firsthand experience, he'll save himself first"

Dodging the attack from Peeves, they entered the Great Hall. Most students had been victims of the water balloon barrage. The sixth years sat with them and Graham announced that he had been chosen as quidditch captain. He was already planning out early quidditch practices within the first two weeks of classes. Aria felt a slight relief, knowing that Graham was not as crazily competitive as Flint.

"Aaron, you should learn that Wronski Feint that Krum did. It would be a good move against Diggory since he's got a slower broom than you" said Adrian.

"I'll get right on that. I'll practice in this storm"

"Hey, we're winning the Cup this year. I don't care if there's a dying unicorn stuck in a tree. You stay away from it. Are we clear?"

"Crystal" she said, feigning a smile.

Hagrid brought the first years into the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony. All of them were completely soaked and shivering from the cold weather. One small boy was covered in Hagrid's coat. Emma was near the Slytherin table. She gave a small wave to Aria.

"Dobbs, Emma"

Hearing her name, Emma jumped. "Good luck" whispered Aria.

Blaise made a joke to Daphne, claiming that she had competition for Aria's affections. Daphne watched Emma, shrewdly. Aria was unsure if she really felt threatened by an eleven year old girl. After a few minutes, the sorting hat placed Emma in Hufflepuff. She sat at an empty spot next to Cedric, who greeted her warmly.

"Another for the reject pile" said Adrian.

A few Slytherins sniggered. "There's nothing wrong with their house" argued Aria.

"They're a load of duffers"

"Not all of them. That Cedric Diggory is so handsome" said Tracey.

Once the final first year had been sorted into Hufflepuff, food appeared on the tables. Aria had missed the Hogwarts feasts. She felt a sudden craving for meat and piled steak and chicken onto her plate. Not even using a knife, she tore into the steak with her teeth. She crushed a sprig of wolfsbane into her juice and took a small sip. The wolfsbane was beginning to have little effect on her. She was able to stomach it without feeling nauseous. As she finished her meal, she noticed Hermione push away her plate in disgust. The food slowly began to disappear from the tables. Dumbledore stood up and gave the usual start of term notices, including items banned by Mr. Filch and forbidding anyone from entering the Forbidden Forest. For a second, she thought he glanced in her direction.

"It is also my painful duty to announce that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year"

The announcement was met with stunned silence. Almost every guy in the Great Hall looked as though they had been told they were dying from a dreaded disease. Dumbledore was about to explain the reasoning behind this decision when the doors to the Great Hall burst open at the same time as a clap of thunder. Aria's eyes widened, seeing Mad-Eye Moody himself in the doorway. He was leaning on a long staff and as he walked towards the teachers' table, his wooden leg made a loud tapping sound on the stone floor. He looked even more intimidating in person, especially with his large blue eye. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook his hand and they exchanged muttered words. Dumbledore gestured him to an empty seat at the table. Moody limped over to the seat and drank from a hip flask.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? Professor Moody"

Only Dumbledore, Hagrid, and Aria clapped. She had heard stories about Moody from her mother. Moody was one of the greatest aurors of all time. He would know all about fighting the Dark Arts. No one else shared her enthusiasm.

"I—is he joking?" said Daphne.

"This is wicked"

"Aaron, look at him"

"I know. This is great. Imagine all the stories he's got about fighting dark wizards. This is definitely my favorite class this year"

The other Slytherins looked at her like she was mental. While the girls seemed to only focus on his scarred appearance, the guys thought he would not be stable enough to teach a class. Draco mentioned how his father once met Moody and almost lost his arm during the conversation. Dumbledore smiled at the crowd of students, some of whom were still staring at Moody.

"As I was saying, we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months. It is my great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year"

"You're JOKING!" shouted Fred.

"I am _not _joking, Mr. Weasley"

The tension in the Great Hall broke, replaced by excited chatter. Everyone seemed to forget that the quidditch cup was cancelled. Dumbledore explained the basics of the tournament for those who did not know about its history. Aria did not care when he mentioned the death toll. She was too interested in participating in the tournament.

"The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October and the selection of the three champions will take placce at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand galleons personal prize money"

"I'm going for it. I'd easily win" said Draco, confidently.

Dumbledore destroyed their hopes of entering when he mentioned the age limit. The heads of the three schools and the Ministry of Magic all agreed to impose a restriction for the contenders, only allowing students that were at least seventeen. The Weasley twins were the two most vocal in their outrage, looking furious. Aria was annoyed by Dumbledore's reasoning that the tasks were too dangerous for students below sixth and seventh year. He assured the students that he would personally ensure no underage students could trick the judge that chose the champions.

Aria scoffed. "That's a load of dung. Who says age matters?"

"We could try to convince Snape to talk to Dumbledore about letting us at least enter. Aaron, he likes you because you're good at Potions. Just sweet talk him" suggested Draco.

"Guys, did any of you hear that people have died in this tournament?" asked Pansy.

Ignoring Pansy's warning, Aria, Draco, Blaise, and Theodore walked up to the teachers' table. Snape was pushing in his chair.

"Is there something you need, boys?"

"Professor, have you been working out?" asked Aria.

He looked at her, bewildered. "What was that, Shaw?"

"You're getting some serious muscle. Not that you weren't a catch before but now…watch out, ladies. Brains and brawn here"

Draco, Blaise, and Theodore nodded, eagerly. Snape shook his head, not willing to bend the rules for them. He was adamant that they could not enter the tournament.

"I apologize for the disappointment. It is for your own safety" said Dumbledore.

"Sir, no offense to you, but I think it's a little unfair to assume that we're not ready for it. I don't mean to brag but I am a million times smarter than any sixth and seventh year at this school. I could duel circles around them" said Aria.

"As skilled as you are, Mister Shaw, the tournament is very dangerous and the Ministry does not want any accidents"

"I'll make you a deal. We can duel for it"

"Shaw" said Snape in a warning tone.

"Come on, I'll duel you, professor. If I beat you, you let me enter. Just let me put my name in for judging. There's no guarantee that I'll be picked"

Moody was surveying her with interest. Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes twinkling.

"I cannot duel my students, Mister Shaw. I applaud your spirit. Whoever is chosen as Hogwarts champion, I hope that they have even half of your courage. Good night, boys"

Seeing that it was a losing battle, they left the Great Hall. Fred and George were as indignant as Aria and determined to enter the tournament. They pointed out that the judge would not know their true ages so an aging potion could gain them entry.

"Hey, I'll help you make it" said Aria, interested.

"Aaron, you can't enter! You're even younger than them! The rule says no one under seventeen" exclaimed Hermione.

"Rules are meant to be broken. You two in or out?"

"All in" chorused Fred and George.

Aria agreed to meet with them during the week to start working on the aging potion. She had easy access to potions ingredients in Snape's storeroom. Hermione continued to yell at her for being reckless as Aria headed down to the Slytherin common room. A large group of Slytherins were sitting on the couches. All of the seventh years would be entering their names for the tournament. Out of the sixth years, only Graham and Cassius would be old enough by Halloween. They stayed up until midnight, discussing the tournament and the possible tasks…

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I'm not going to have Aria magically enter the tournament somehow because it would be insane if there were three Hogwarts champions. She is really determined to get her name in though and I've thought of a fun way for her to attempt it without the aging potion. As a little tease, someone in an upcoming chapter is going to discover Aria's real identity. Have fun guessing who ;)  
**


	25. Curses and Apparitions

When Aria received her schedule the next morning, she was annoyed that she would not have class with Moody until Thursday. She was looking forward to his class the most, wanting to hear about his experiences as an auror. Wanting to discuss methods of sneaking into the Triwizard Tournament, she sat at the Gryffindor table with Fred, George, and Lee. All four of them decided that an aging potion would be the best idea. Since Aria was younger by three years, she needed a stronger dose, meaning they needed to make two sets of potions. Lee was looking up the ingredients in his Potions book. Only he had advanced to NEWT Potions so he had information on advanced potion recipes. As Lee told them each ingredient, Fred wrote it on a piece of parchment.

A few seats down from them were Hermione, Harry, and Ron. Hermione had not eaten a single thing since the start of breakfast. George mentioned to Aria that Hermione had refused to eat since last night. When she learned that house elves worked in the Hogwarts kitchens, a fact that seemed obvious to Aria, she went on a hunger strike as a protest. Aria had to remind herself that Hermione was from the muggle world and was not used to the idea of house elves doing labor. She suppressed a laugh when Hermione relented on her protest, buttering a piece of toast.

"Aaron, if you're going to make one, you'll need to triple each ingredient" said Lee, checking the page on aging potions.

"No problem. I can easily get these from Snape's storeroom. He won't even notice that they're missing. I can get them during lunch. He gave me a schedule over the summer. We're working on some veritaserum today"

"Well aren't you a lucky duck?" joked George.

The bell rang, signaling the end of breakfast. As Aria stood up from the table, Hermione walked over to her. She crossed her arms over her chest, shooting her a suspicious look.

"Aaron, you're not helping them with the potion, are you?"

"Did you do something with your hair?"

"Don't change the subject. This tournament is dangerous. Do you not realize you could be seriously injured or kil"

"Did you hear that? I hear Snape calling me" interrupted Aria.

"Snape is still at the teachers' table. I see him talking to Dumbledore behind you"

"Yea but it's a Slytherin thing. We've got this telepathic connection"

Aria pretended to hear something in her head. She turned to Snape, giving him a thumbs up. Fred, George, and Lee quietly snickered.

"Well, I need to go do what he wants me to do. I would tell you but it's top secret"

She waved a quick goodbye and left the Great Hall. As she walked towards the greenhouses, she spotted Tracey with Cormac McLaggen, a brawny fifth year in Gryffindor. Aria did not know him well but heard that he was not very bright. Tracey looked very irritated by him. They were having a tense conversation. She shook her head and pointed towards the castle. Cormac whispered something in her ear, slipping a paper in her hand, and headed back through the archway. Aria walked up beside her. Tracey was ripping the paper into little pieces.

"You okay?"

"McLaggen is an idiot. Our mothers were close friends when they went to Hogwarts so we always have these little lunches over the summer. We had one a few weeks before school started and he kept sneaking me firewhiskey. I got a little tipsy and we kissed. He thinks it meant something"

"Did you tell him it was nothing?"

"A million times. Guys just refuse to understand rejection. He wants to take me to Hogsmeade. I mean, he's cute but he's almost dumb enough to make Crabbe and Goyle look like geniuses"

"I'm sure he'll get the hint. Just draw him some pictures next time"

Tracey giggled. Aria opened the door to the greenhouse. Sprout was already waiting, surrounded by pots. The pots contained plants that looked like thick, black slugs with shiny protrusions on its surface. Their name, bubotubers, matched their disgusting appearance. For their lesson, they would be collecting the yellow pus in bottles. Aria did not think Herbology could not get much more disgusting. She had to hold her breath due to the putrid odor from the pus, which smelled like gasoline. Her enhanced sense of smell made the experience even worse for her and she was relieved when the lesson ended.

Once she passed her dozen bottles down the table, she took off her dragon-hide gloves and left the greenhouse. The girls were heavily disinfecting their hands, worried that they caught germs from the bubotubers. She followed the Slytherins down towards Hagrid's cabin for their creatures class.

"I can't wait until we can give up Herbology" said Daphne, rubbing lotion on her hands.

"That's not until sixth year. Trust me, after our OWLs, I'm ditching everything except the easy classes" replied Blaise.

Draco remarked that he wished that he could drop a class before sixth year. He was clearly referring to Hagrid's class. Aria countered that Hagrid was not a bad teacher. She found his lesson on hippogriffs interesting.

"He only got the job because Dumbledore pities him"

"On the bright side, he can't get much worse than hippogriffs, right?" asked Pansy.

When they reached the cabin, the Gryffindors were standing around several wooden crates. Aria was not comforted by the fearful expressions on some of their faces. She could hear small explosions as the crates rattled. Hagrid beamed down at the crates with a proud smile. Aria was the only Slytherin brave enough to get closer to the crates. The tiny creatures inside looked like deformed, shell-less lobsters with no visible heads and legs sticking out in random places. Sparks shot out of their backside and they were propelled forward by a couple inches. Aria had never seen any kind of creature like them.

"Blast-ended skrewts! On'y jus' hatched so yeh'll be able ter raise 'em yerselves! Thought we'd make a bit of a project of it"

"Why would we _want _to raise them? What do they _do_?" asked Draco.

Hagrid's blank expression made her think that he did not know much about these skrewts. He dismissed Draco's questions, telling him that they would learn more in the next lesson. There were bowls filled with ant eggs, frog livers, and grass snake to feed the skrewts. Hagrid suggested that they try each to see what they preferred as a meal. Aria picked up a handful of ant eggs and lowered her hand into the crate. She struggled to find their mouths. The girls kept their distance, scared to go anywhere near the skrewts. Even a few of the guys were reluctant, holding onto their wands in case of an attack. After a few attempts, Aria got one of the smaller skrewts to eat but it immediately spit out the ant eggs.

She was about to try the grass snake when Dean let out a loud yell. His hand had been badly burnt and he showed it to Hagrid.

"Its end exploded!"

"That can happen when they blast off"

Lavender shrieked, pointing out something on a skrewt's backside. Hagrid explained that the males had stings while the females had suckers on their bellies to take blood. The way he spoke, Aria was absolutely certain that he did not know anything about the skrewts. It made her more reluctant to defend him against the Slytherins. She found herself agreeing with Draco when he made a sarcastic remark about keeping the dangerous skrewts alive. Hermione argued that they could still be useful, indicating that dragons would be poor pets but their blood had many magical benefits. Aria doubted that Hagrid's skrewts would provide something valuable like a cure for lycanthropy. Learning about the skrewt's hazardous appendages, only Aria took the risk in feeding them. She sighed in silent relief when Hagrid took the crates away at the end of class. Walking back towards the castle, she healed a small burn with her wand.

"Aaron, you shouldn't have been feeding them" said Daphne.

"I felt bad. It was a waste of time. They wouldn't eat any of it"

She promised to meet the Slytherins in the North Tower for Divinations. While they went towards the Great Hall, Aria headed down to the dungeons. She entered the Potions classroom and found Snape gathering ingredients on a desk. During their usual sessions, they would have small conversations about classes or potions. Aria was unsure of how Snape would treat her in a one-on-one setting. She had been surprised that he wanted her to continue aiding him with his potion-making. The image of him hitting her with a spell in the Shrieking Shack was still vivid in her mind. She started work on the veritaserum by grinding up lionfish spines in a bowl. Snape measured dragon blood in a vial as she poured the crushed mixture into the cauldron.

"You're quiet today, Shaw. You're usually quite talkative. No more kissing up to get into the tournament?"

"I'm sorry"

He looked at her with his cold dark eyes. "What are you apologizing for?"

"Look, I get why you wanted Sirius to get taken by the dementors. I understand that need for revenge. If it was anyone else, I wouldn't have stopped you"

"And why is Black so important to you?"

"He's my godfather"

Snape seemed staggered by her admission. She did not even expect it from herself.

"My father isn't around and Sirius and Lupin were the closest things I had to a father figure. I've lost enough family, professor. I didn't want to lose Sirius too"

"You were not meant to be hurt by that spell I cast. My anger got the best of me that night"

"I'm over it. If I was really mad about it, your office would've been flooded by now with piranhas and sharks" she said, grabbing the jar of pufferfish eyes.

"I understand your loyalty to Black but you cannot be that reckless all the time, Shaw. It's going to put you in danger. Everyone needs a bit of fear in them"

Towards the end of lunch, they finished the potion. The veritaserum needed a full lunar cycle to mature before it was ready. Aria poured the mixture into a flask and placed it in the storeroom. While Snape was busy preparing for his next lesson, she grabbed the ingredients for the aging potion, hiding them in her bag. She walked up to the North Tower for her double Divinations lesson. As she climbed the silver ladder, she found that she did not miss the heavy perfume smell permeating the room. Daphne waved her over to a table towards the back. When she sat on one of the poufs, Trelawney appeared at their table. Her eyes rested on Aria.

"My dear boy, I'm afraid your future is very grim. The thing you dread will come to pass"

"So Talia is going to ask me out soon? Knew it" replied Aria, making the Slytherins laugh.

"And you will have troubles of the heart. The snake and wolf will fight for your soul and love will lead to betrayal and your end"

"Chills"

Aria's voice dripped with sarcasm. She did not need Trelawney's dreary predictions. Trelawney draped her shawl over her shoulders and sat in her large armchair. Parvati and Lavender, who greatly believed in the power of Divination, watched her with admiration.

"What a load of dung" said Draco.

"She was right about one thing. I have to be honest, Pansy. Draco and I started a relationship over the summer. He's so in love with me"

Pansy shot her a playful glare. Aria sniffled, wiping away fake tears.

"Don't betray me, lover" she told Draco.

"Never. I'll love you until my dying day"

Aria and the guys laughed, gaining a reproachful look from Trelawney. Their Divinations lesson consisted of filling out a planetary chart at their time of birth. It was incredibly boring and almost made Aria want to work with the bubotubers. Most of the class was outraged when Trelawney assigned them their homework, a detailed analysis of how the planetary movements would affect them in the coming month. Aria wanted to smash one of the crystal balls on her head. Blaise complained about the assignment as they walked down the staircase. They waited in the large crowd in front of the Great Hall. Adrian and Graham made their way over to them. Reaching into his bag, Adrian showed them an article in the _Daily Prophet_.

The article, written by Rita Skeeter, was about Mr. Weasley and how he helped Moody yesterday. Aria remembered that Moody claimed he had been under attack. Mr. Weasley got into a tussle with a few muggle policemen and had to modify their memories of the incident. Similar to the yesterday's article, Skeeter claimed that Moody caused a false alarm. Aria felt bad when she noticed that Mr. Weasley had been mistakenly called Arnold. It showed that he was not held in high regard at the Ministry. Draco glanced over the article with a gleeful smile. Scanning the crowd, he spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Aria groaned, watching him walk towards them. She followed him with Blaise, Theodore, Crabbe, and Goyle. Draco proceeded to embarrass Ron by loudly reciting the article. Everyone in the Entrance Hall was listening to Draco and watching Ron's face get redder by the minute. Draco showed a picture of Ron's parents outside of their home, which accompanied the article.

"A picture of your parents outside their house—if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"

Aria flicked her wand, creating a small shield between Draco and Ron, who looked ready to strangle him. She glared harshly at Draco. His insult had taken things too far. She was not going to tolerate him being rude to someone as sweet as Mrs. Weasley. Harry and Hermione grabbed the back of Ron's robes to stop him from hitting Draco.

"Apologize to him"

"You're not my mother, Aaron. I can say whatever I want"

"Get stuffed, Malfoy" said Harry, angrily.

Draco smirked. "Oh yea, you were staying with them, weren't you, Potter? So tell us, is his mother really that porky or is it just the picture?"

"You know _your _mother? Does she always look like she's got dung under her nose or is it just because she was near you?"

Aria stifled a laugh. Draco's pale face turned slightly pink. He reached for his wand, pointing it at Harry as the three Gryffindors turned their backs. Aria was about to stop him until a jet of light flashed past her ear. It hit Draco and he vanished, leaving his uniform on the floor. Pansy screamed in horror.

"Draco!"

"OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!"

Moody was limping down the staircase, holding his wand. As Pansy screeched that Moody had killed her boyfriend, Aria noticed the robes rustling. A white ferret emerged from the pile of clothes. Her eyes widened, realizing that it was Draco.

"Bloody hell" whispered Theodore, shocked.

Crabbe reached for the ferret. Limping past Harry, Moody shouted for him to drop it. Crabbe immediately let go and stepped back next to Goyle. Aria watched in amazement as Moody levitated the ferret into the air and repeatedly smacked it into the floor. She struggled to keep herself from grinning at the sight.

"I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back is turned. Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do…"

"Professor Moody!"

McGonagall, who was standing at the bottom of the staircase, dropped her stack of books and hurried over to him. When she learned that the ferret was a transfigured Draco, she spoiled the fun, returning Draco to normal. He was lying on his stomach, his blond hair all over his red face. Pansy bent down to him, kissing his cheek repeatedly and squeezing the life out of him. McGonagall reprimanded Moody for using transfiguration as a punishment, telling him that detentions were given if a student behaved poorly. Draco looked angrily up at Moody.

"My father will hear about this" he muttered.

"Well, I know your father of old, boy. You tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son. Your head of house will be Snape, will it?"

"Yes"

"Another old friend. Come on, you…"

Pansy was not letting go of Draco, clinging to his waist. Moody had to separate them with a spell. Seizing Draco's arm, he forced him down to the dungeons.

When Draco returned from his meeting with Snape and Moody, he was in a foul mood. He immediately wrote a letter to his father. Aria found it funny that he could not fight his own battles. If anyone ever wronged him, he would threaten them with telling his father. Moody's humiliation of him gave Aria a new strategy to use against Draco. If he started to insult one of her friends, especially Hermione, she warned him that she could transfigure him into a ferret again. He took her seriously, knowing that Aria was capable of advanced magic.

Aria was in the DADA classroom, waiting for her first lesson. Everyone talked excitedly about having Moody as a teacher. Draco leaned back on his chair.

"He doesn't seem that great to me. Just wait when I get a letter back. My parents will be furious"

"Are they going to get him executed too?" asked Aria, sarcastically.

"How can you side with him?"

"Because you were being a jerk. You deserved it"

"I deserved to be turned into a filthy rodent?"

"You were already one of the two. I'll let you decide which one I mean"

Moody entered the classroom and told them to put away their books. She was eager for a practical lesson. After doing a quick roll call, he told them how he asked Lupin about what they had covered so far in the class.

"You've got pretty thorough knowledge in tackling Dark creatures but you're very behind on dealing with curses. So I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've got one year to do so then it's back to quiet retirement"

He gave a harsh laugh and clapped his hands together. A few girls shifted uncomfortably in their seats. He started to give a lecture on curses, explaining that they came in many forms. Even though dark curses were not normally shown until sixth year, Dumbledore thought that they were strong enough to handle it at a younger age.

"The sooner you know what you're up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you've never seen? A wizard who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. You need to be prepared, alert, and watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Brown, when I'm talking"

Lavender jumped in her seat. Under the table, she had been showing Parvati a horoscope. She blushed and put it in her bag. Aria realized that his magical eye could see through wood and even the back of his head. She reminded herself to check if an object like that could be fooled by disguising charms. Moody questioned them about the unforgivable curses. Several hands rose into the air and he pointed at Ron, who mentioned the imperius curse. Opening his desk drawer, Moody took out a glass jar with three large spiders. Ron's chair screeched as he moved it back, his face ghostly pale. Moody cast the imperius curse on one of the spiders, making it move around the room. Aria was not as amazed as other students. She had cast this curse enough that it was like any other spell.

The naïve students laughed hysterically as he made the spider dangle over people's heads. He interrupted their laughter, telling them the curse was no joke. They would not think it was funny if they were under a person's complete control. Moody explained that it had been a problem during the wizarding war with Voldemort. It was difficult to sort out who was being controlled by the curse and who was acting of their own free will.

"It can be fought and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

His shouting caused the students closest to him to jump in their seats. He placed the spider back into the jar. When Moody asked for another curse, Aria did not expect Neville to raise his hand.

"There's the um…the Cr—Cruciatus Curse" he stuttered.

Moody peered down at Neville. "Your name's Longbottom?"

Neville nodded anxiously. Moody reached into the jar for another spider and cast an engorgement charm, making it swell so much that it was larger than a tarantula. Ron looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

"Crucio!"

The spider rolled over, twitching horribly in pain. Aria watched its legs bend into its body. Her focus shifted from the agonized spider to Neville. His hands were clenched and he was staring at the spider with a horrified expression.

"Stop it!"

Aria was shocked that she said that out loud. Everyone turned towards her. Moody shrank the spider and returned it to the jar, grabbing the last one.

"Pain. You don't need knives or any other tools to torture someone if you can perform that curse. It was a very popular one during that time too"

He walked over to the desk with Aria and Draco. Not keeping his eyes off of her, he placed the spider on the desk.

"Care to give us the last curse, Shaw?"

"The Killing Curse"

Most of the class shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Even Draco made a slight grimace. Moody's mouth twisted into a slight smile.

"Yes, the last and worst. Avada Kedavra…the killing curse"

He pointed his wand at the spider. "Avada Kedavra!"

A jet of blinding green light struck the spider and it instantly rolled onto its back. Aria felt her stomach twist into knots. Her thoughts flashed back to the night of her mother's death. She remembered the lifeless look in her eyes when Macnair hit her with the curse.

"Not pleasant. There's no countercurse, no blocking it. Only one person has ever survived it and he's in this room"

Moody's eyes focused on Harry. It was well known that Harry had been the only known survivor in history. When she was first on the run, Aria remembered the story of his survival and had desperately hoped her mother had the same luck. She would have constant dreams that her mother would find her hiding in some messy apartment and her life would return to normal. A small twinge of jealousy hit her, thinking about how Harry lived through the curse as just a toddler. Picking up the spider, Moody returned to his desk. He told them that the killing curse needed powerful magic behind it and even if they all attempted it on him, he would barely get a nosebleed.

"If there's no countercurse, why am I showing you? _Because you've got to know_. You've got to appreciate what the worst is and you don't want to find yourself in a situation where you're facing it. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Moody continued to explain that if any of the unforgivable curses were used, it would earn the wizard or witch a life sentence in Azkaban"

For the rest of the lesson, they took notes on the unforgivable curses. Aria continually glanced over at Neville, worried about him. The cruciatus curse affected him the most out of everyone there. He was still slightly pale and shaking as he wrote down his notes. Once the bell rang, they stood up from their desks. Aria passed by Moody's desk, walking behind Draco. She stopped, catching a strange scent. It was like a mix of two different people.

"All right there, Shaw?" asked Moody.

"Yes, sir"

Ignoring the scent, she left the classroom. The guys imitated what had happened during the lesson. Blaise pretended to cast the imperius curse on Theodore.

"Would you two idiots stop? It wasn't funny. He has serious issues" said Daphne.

"He has a point. We need to be prepared for what's out there. You can't go around thinking that the world is all sunshine and rainbows, Daph"

"He didn't need to show us the curses. That went too far. He should have"

Daphne was interrupted by Cormac walking over to their group. He asked for a minute alone with Tracey. Rolling her eyes, Tracey followed him to an empty corner in the corridor.

"Should we stay with her?"

Blaise shook his head. "She'll be fine. Besides, I'm too hungry. I need food"

Aria waited outside the Great Hall. She watched the conversation between Tracey and Cormac. When Cormac grabbed her arm a little too roughly, Aria took it as a sign to help her.

"Hey Tracey. Is everything okay?"

"Sod off. This is a private conversation between me and her" said Cormac, rudely.

"Well if you don't back off, it's going to be between you and my fist"

Cormac clenched his fists. "You better watch it"

"I think you should take the hint, McLaggen. Stop being a creep and leave her alone. One drunken kiss does not make you soulmates. Go for someone more in your league…like a pitbull"

He scoffed, muttering that Tracey was not worth his time. Aria watched him enter the Great Hall. Tracey hugged her.

"Thanks, Aaron. I think he'll leave me alone now"

"Well if he doesn't, tell him that I'll take a page out of Moody's book and turn him into a ferret"

To her confusion, Tracey's eyes widened with fear. "What is it? Is he behind me? I can take him"

Aria turned around, ready to fight Cormac. Instead of the burly fifth year, she saw a strange mist floating in mid-air, taking the shape of a face. The face began to move, growling. Tracey let out a piercing scream and ran down the corridor.

"Come to me" it said in a deep, spine-chilling voice.

Her necklace emitted a faint glow. The mist vanished, leaving the corridor empty. Aria moved her hand in front of her, checking for any spell residue.

"Aaron"

Cedric ran over to her, concerned. Tracey and McGonagall were a few steps behind him. He put his hand on Aria's shoulder.

"Are you all right?"

"Yea. I'm fine"

"I was talking to McGonagall by the stairs. Tracey said there was something about to attack the two of you"

"It was a creepy ghost thing" explained Pansy.

Cedric suggested that it could have been a prank by Peeves. Tracey insisted that she could tell the difference between Peeves's childish jokes and a ghost. McGonagall questioned Aria about it.

"It was like a face"

"Did it say anything to you, Mister Shaw?"

"No, professor" she lied.

Taking out her wand, McGonagall waved it around the corridor. She pursed her lips, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"What do you think it was, professor?" asked Cedric, his hand still on Aria's shoulder.

"I'll have to speak to Professor Dumbledore. Whatever it was, it appears to have gone. You're safe, Miss Davis. I suggest you three get to the Great Hall"

Tracey, who did not need to be told twice, hurried into the Great Hall. McGonagall walked up the staircase, heading for Dumbledore's office. Aria was a bit unnerved by the bizarre apparition.

"Are you sure you're okay, Aaron?"

She looked at Cedric. "Yea. It was just really weird. I've never seen anything like it"

"I bet it was a prank by some older students. Some of them love a good scare. It might have been Fred and George"

"I guess so"

"Don't think about it anymore. Like McGonagall said, it's gone. Just drown your worries in some chocolate cake and you'll feel better"

Aria smiled and walked with him to the Great Hall. She sat at the Slytherin table where Tracey was already telling an exaggerated version of the incident. Pretending to listen, Aria instead thought about the strange ghost. It had been directly speaking to her. She lifted up her necklace and stared at the pendant, curious about what had made it glow…

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I mentioned previously that someone is going to find out in an upcoming chapter about Aria's identity. I'm really liking your guesses so far but I won't say if anyone is right or not. I will say that it is going to be a surprise when it does happen. **


	26. Flirting

McGonagall had been very wrong when she assured Aria and Tracey that the apparition was a one time occurrence. Aria began to see it every night when she was alone. It would say the same words over and over again, _Come to me_. Though she had thorough knowledge about the wizarding world, she had never seen anything like this ghost. After a week, she was able to handle its random appearances and believed it could be related to Riven Jones. She wondered if this was some kind of scare tactic to get her out of the castle and snatch her. While she could deal with seeing the weird ghost in places like her bathroom, it was a far different story when it entered her dreams.

A few weeks into October, she started to have nightmares, always the same one. Aria would find herself in a large clearing with nothing but trees for miles. She was all alone but could hear people screaming and the sound of rattling chains. When she passed by an oak tree, the ghost appeared in front of her. Chains would restrain her to a tree and she found herself unable to use any magic. The dream ended with the screaming getting louder and a badly scarred hand grabbing her wrist. At times, Aria stayed up all night as a way to escape the terrible nightmares. She tried to distract herself by putting all of her efforts into helping Fred, George, and Lee with the aging potions. The potions were almost complete and Aria was sure that they would be able to enter the tournament.

Aria was sitting at a table in the library, surrounded by multiple books about ghosts. A charm had been placed on each book to disguise them as other subjects if someone else attempted to read them. The books gave no helpful answers to her problem. She picked up her third book, which contained information on types of ghosts and spirits.

"There are many types of spirits. Blah, blah, blah" she said, keeping her head propped up by her hand.

As she read about various spirits, she spotted the word _portal_. It mentioned how some spirits were actually wizards attempting to communicate from other realms. The supposed spirit would appear to someone, giving them a message. Sometimes, if the caster put enough magic behind it, they could invade a person's subconscious. Aria remembered how her necklace had reacted everytime she saw the ghost, emitting a faint glow. She did not know much about other realms of the wizarding world. Besides her father, she never met any other wizard capable of creating portals. He once mentioned in a letter how he traveled to a different realm to get a special gift for her mother's 17th birthday. At most, Aria had moved between countries using a portal. An entire other world would be far beyond her abilities.

"Someone has a lot of work"

Cedric walked over to the table, carrying a stack of books that looked very damaged. Madam Pince passed by them, telling him to put the books back once he repaired them. She levitated a duster, using it to wipe the shelves. The students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would be arriving tonight and their impending arrival sent the teachers into a frenzy. Mr. Filch was cleaning the castle so much that the corridors began to smell like cleaning supplies and he scared the students, yelling at them if they dragged dirt onto the floor.

"I'm helping to make the library look nice and neat"

"Because I'm sure those foreign kids will come straight here when they arrive" she said, sarcastically.

Cedric laughed. "It's called making a good impression"

"The only impression they'll get is that we never stop working. I've written so many essays in the past few weeks that my hand is about to fall off"

The professors in all of her classes had given them a ton of work, claiming that it would help prepare for their OWLs next year. Aria welcomed the distraction, wanting to keep her mind off of ghosts and nightmares. When Hagrid proposed that they visit the skrewts every few nights to observe their behavior, she offered to do the assignments for her Slytherin friends, who were doing everything possible to avoid the dangerous creatures. Defense against the Dark Arts was the only class where Aria did not have to write constant essays. During one lesson, Moody decided to cast the imperius curse on all of them so that they could attempt to fight its effects. Harry and Aria were the only ones able to resist the curse. After Aria had shown resistance on her first try, Moody took a special interest in her. He would constantly use her as an example to the class to prove the importance of constant vigilance and a strong mind.

Cedric repaired the books with a simple flick of his wand. Aria picked up a few, helping him to return the books to their respective places. She squeezed a large history book into the top shelf.

"What's spew?"

Aria glanced down at her chest. A blue badge was pinned to her vest, bearing the letters _S.P.E.W_. She explained Hermione's new cause, house elf rights. Hermione practically blackmailed Aria into paying for a badge, telling her that if she did not help save the house elves, Dumbledore would find out about the aging potions. Aria supported giving house elves less work but thought Hermione had gone insane, wanting vacations and pensions for them. Knowing that Hermione wanted more members, she asked if Cedric wanted a badge.

"As nice as they look, I think I'll pass. You can call me a silent activist"

"I would try that but then Hermione will tell Dumbledore about my potions plan. You're lucky that you're seventeen already. Are you going to put your name in for the tournament?"

"Everyone in Hufflepuff wants me to do it. You think I've got a shot?"

"Trust me, you've got the best chance. You're the second best student in this school"

He looked at her, curiously. "Second best?"

"Well I'm obviously first"

"Oh, I see. Then it's obvious that the Ministry put this age restriction to give us inferior wizards a chance"

"I came to that same conclusion"

Cedric smiled, shaking his head at her. Hermione had just entered the library, carrying a box of badges. She spoke with a group of third year Ravenclaw girls, telling them about house elf rights. The girls looked completely bewildered. Aria pushed Cedric towards the door.

"Be very quiet. Don't let her see us"

Sneaking past Hermione as she went on about the enslavement of house elves, they left the library. The bell rang and Cedric told her that he would see her later, heading up the stairs towards Ancient Runes. Aria walked down to the Potions classroom. She waited outside the door, playing with her necklace. A shadow fell over the pendant. Looking up, she saw Harry and Ron. Harry showed her a letter from Sirius. He had written to Sirius the day before the World Cup, complaining that his scar hurt. When Sirius suggested that he would come back to Hogwarts to check on him, Harry attempted to play off the pain as nothing but Sirius did not believe him. The letter mentioned that Sirius was hiding nearby and to keep him posted on anything happening at Hogwarts. At the end of the letter, he told Harry to watch out for himself and Aria, calling her Aaron.

"I told you that lame attempt wouldn't work, Harry. Sirius isn't stupid"

"Where do you think he is? You said that you met with him a lot last year"

"He would hide in this abandoned building in Hogsmeade. I doubt he's there. Don't worry about him. Sirius isn't going to get caught"

"How are you so calm?"

"Well if you act all paranoid, it's going to look suspicious. Has your scar hurt anymore?"

"No, not since that night. What if it really was nothing?"

"Don't take that chance"

Snape opened the door, letting them into the classroom. No one paid attention during the shortened lesson, more interested in the arrival of the foreign students. Around six, all of the Hogwarts students were lined up in front of the castle. The professors made sure that all of them looked presentable. Aria was standing next to Blaise. He scowled when McGonagall snapped at him to fix his shirt.

"They're acting like we're meeting bloody royalty" he muttered.

"I wish they would hurry up. It's freezing" said Tracey, shivering and clutching her robes close to her.

"Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!" said Dumbledore.

Aria followed his gaze to the dark night sky. She could see the outline of something very large among the clouds. A few students shouted, trying to guess what was heading towards the castle. Their guesses ranged from dragons to a flying house. As it got closer, Aria saw a gigantic blue carriage pulled by a dozen winged horses. The carriage landed on the ground with a loud crash. A guy in pale blue silk robes jumped down from the carriage and opened the door, unveiling a set of golden steps. Aria thought that the boy looked familiar. She forgot about trying to figure out where she had seen him when a woman stepped out of the carriage. Aria's eyes widened at her size, thinking that she looked even bigger than Hagrid.

"Someone got on the wrong side of an engorgement charm" whispered Adrian, staring at the woman.

Taking in her daunting size, Aria wondered how she found clothes that fit her. The woman was dressed in a black satin dress and had opals around her neck and fingers. Aria joined Dumbledore and the professors clapped. The woman walked towards him and greeted him with a smile.

"My dear Madame Maxime. Welcome to Hogwarts"

"Dumbly-dorr, I 'ope I find you well?" she asked, having a very thick French accent.

"In excellent form, I thank you"

"My pupils"

One by one, guys and girls stepped out of the carriage. She heard guys comment on the beauty of the Beauxbatons girls, questioning if they were veela. Pansy nudged Draco's side, annoyed by his eyes wandering over a tall girl with silvery blonde hair. As the last student stepped out of the carriage, Aria contemplated throwing herself off of the North Tower. She watched Ben stand next to the blonde girl.

"This has to be a nightmare" she whispered to herself.

Aria did not pay any attention to the conversation between Dumbledore and Maxime. She was too busy hoping for a giant dragon to appear and eat Ben. He was glancing around the castle grounds. Her fists clenched when their eyes locked and he winked at her. Maxime led her students into the castle.

"I like them already" said Graham.

"You're so shallow. They're not veela, you idiots" said Pansy.

"That blonde has to have some veela blood in her"

"She wasn't that pretty"

"Jealous?" asked Blaise.

"Oh shu"

Pansy was interrupted by a muffled rumbling sound in the lake. Slowly, an enormous ship rose from the water. Its appearance reminded her of a battered pirate ship. The ship stopped at the edge of the lake and the students walked across a plank to get to the ground. All of the guys were very muscular and even the girls looked a bit intimidating. A white-haired man with a goatee greeted Dumbledore heartily. Aria heard Dumbledore call him Karkaroff. He did not look very trustworthy and his smile gave off a cold demeanor.

"How good it is to be here…Viktor, come along, into the warmth. You don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold"

Aria gaped at the sight of Viktor Krum emerging from the group of Durmstrang students. She knew that he attended the school but did not expect him to be here for the tournament. The guys near her looked ready to wet themselves. Once the Durmstrang students stepped into the castle, the Hogwarts students followed, entering the Great Hall. Aria watched as guys and girls searched for anything for Krum to sign as an autograph. Girls got desperate, grabbing lipstick instead of pens. She was relieved to see that the Beauxbatons students sat at the Ravenclaw table. Karkaroff led his students over to the Slytherins.

"We have to get a seat near Krum" said Theodore.

"I've got it"

Draco resorted to scaring the first years away, shooting them death glares. He took a seat directly across from Krum. Rolling her eyes, Aria followed her friends to the table. Draco introduced them to Krum. The plates immediately filled with food for the feast. Most of the Slytherins were more focused on meeting Krum. She felt bad that Krum had to deal with such obsessive fans. When he told them that they could call him Viktor, the girls almost fainted from excitement. Many Slytherin girls, especially Talia, were blatantly flirting with him.

"Why don't you just throw your panties at him already?" muttered Aria, grabbing a piece of chicken.

One of the Durmstrang girls across from her laughed. Aria did not think that anyone heard her comment.

"Sorry. You must be used to this by now"

"Since our first year. They would not be so interested in him if they ever heard him snoring"

"You might be surprised. I'm Aaron"

"Ivana"

Instead of fawning over Viktor, Aria got to know the other Durmstrang students better. They were all very tough competitors. Ivana proved to be the best at speaking English. She told Aria that Karkaroff only cared about Viktor, hoping that he would be the Durmstrang champion and win the tournament. Halfway through their conversation, Karkaroff called over Ivana. Frustrated, she walked to the teachers' table. Daphne showed Aria that Viktor signed a picture of him in her _Witch Weekly _magazine. Blaise was asking him all kinds of quidditch questions.

"Not impressed by the celebrity?"

Ben had taken the empty seat beside her. She scrunched her nose in annoyance.

"Shouldn't you be sitting with your house?"

"Is that a rule? That looks good" he said, taking her glass of butterbeer.

"Drink it. I dare you"

He chuckled. "Ooh, are you trying to be scary?"

As Ben took a sip, he immediately spit it out. He grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth. She pretended to be worried.

"Aw, poor baby, are you okay?"

"You put wolfsbane in your drinks? Are you insane?" he whispered.

"Too weak to handle it?"

Aria snatched her glass back and downed the butterbeer. Ben watched her, surprised that the wolfsbane had no effect. She grabbed the pitcher of butterbeer, pouring another glass.

"Now go away. Go sit with your little croissant-eating friends"

Daphne turned towards them, no longer listening to Krum explain the wronski feint. She smiled at Ben and introduced herself.

"Aaron, I didn't know you had a friend from Beauxbatons"

"He's n"

Ben interrupted her. "Actually, we met at the World Cup and we just clicked. We're like best friends now. Isn't that right, buddy?"

Aria gripped her glass and feigned a smile. "That's right"

Daphne commented on his lack of a French accent. He explained that his grandparents lived in France so he attended Beauxbatons instead of Hogwarts. Ludo Bagman and Mr. Crouch had just entered the Great Hall and sat in the two empty chairs at the teachers' table. Once the food vanished from the tables, Dumbledore stood up to address to large crowd of students.

"The moment has come. The Triwizard Tournament is about to start"

He introduced Bagman and Crouch, who had helped arrange the tournament over the past few months. Both were going to be judges for the tournament, along with Dumbledore, Karkaroff, and Maxime. Mr. Filch placed a wooden chest in front of the teachers' table. Dumbledore explained that the tournament consisted of three tasks throughout the school year and each task would test the champions in various ways, including their magical ability, daring, and deduction skills. The champions would be chosen by the Goblet of Fire. As he tapped the chest with his wand, the lid opened and he pulled out a large wooden cup with blue-white flames. To enter the tournament, they had to write their name and school on a piece of paper and drop it into the flames. The champions would be selected tomorrow night at dinner.

Aria looked at the goblet with anticipation. She was not fazed when Dumbledore told them that an age line would be drawn around the goblet to keep out underage participants. He continued to warn them about entering the tournament because if chosen, the champion had a binding magical contract to compete. Aria felt Ben's hand on her knee.

"Sounds fun, doesn't it?"

"Move your hand" she hissed through gritted teeth.

"Oh, is my hand there? Sometimes, it has a mind of its own"

Grabbing a fork, she jammed it into his hand. He winced.

"Did that hurt, buddy?" she asked, sarcastically.

"Most guys would find your attitude off-putting…but I love a challenge"

"I'll give you a challenge when you have to figure out how to walk without legs"

Dumbledore dismissed them from the feast. Aria ignored Ben when he asked to see her room. Fred and George followed her out of the Great Hall. Neither of them were nervous about the Age Line. The aging potions would be done by tomorrow morning. She promised to meet them outside the Great Hall and went down to the common room.

Aria woke up very early the next morning, unable to sleep. She was excited, not just for the chance to compete but also that she got past Dumbledore's rules. Sneaking down to an empty classroom in the dungeons, she found the potions hidden in a desk drawer. She poured the potions into two separate vials. Hiding them in her pocket, she headed up to the Great Hall. Fred, George, and Lee were waiting by the staircase. She could see students gathered around the Goblet of Fire. According to Lee, all of the Durmstrang students had submitted their names and from Hogwarts, he had seen Angelina Johnson, who was another sixth year Gryffindor but already seventeen, Graham, Cassius, and Roger.

"You three should try first. Mine's a little stronger so we should make sure the normal potion works. Remember, you only need one drop each"

She handed the vial to Fred and waited by a statue near the doors. Max and a couple other Hufflepuff sixth years were bringing Cedric into the Great Hall, cheering.

"Good luck" she mouthed, waving at him.

He took out a piece of paper and dropped it into the goblet's flames. All of the Hufflepuffs cheered enthusiastically and chanted his name. Cho Chang smiled at Cedric, telling him that he would be a great Hogwarts champion. Aria rolled her eyes.

"Is that your boyfriend?"

"You are seriously reaching stalker levels here. He's just a friend" she said, looking at Ben behind her.

He leaned against the statue. "You don't make googly eyes at friends"

She snarled. "I don't do that. What, are you jealous?"

"Nope. You can have the little crushes you want. He can be your first love. I fully intend to be your last"

"You know, I bet a lot of girls swoon over those romantic lines. I'm not one of them. Those dreamy blue eyes have no effect on me"

"So my eyes are dreamy, huh?" he asked, grinning.

Aria scoffed and turned her attention back to the Great Hall. Fred, George, and Lee were heading towards the Goblet of Fire. Hermione was being doubtful, claiming that Dumbledore would not be fooled by an aging potion. Ben reached into Aria's pocket, taking out the vial. She went to grab it but he held it out of reach.

"Don't be this stupid. That girl's right. You're not going to get past that Age Line"

"My potions are always perfect"

"Maybe but Dumbledore's smarter than that. Don't you think he thought of every possibility to keep hopeful little kiddies from getting their names in that goblet?"

He tossed the vial outside. She was furious that he ruined her chances to get into the tournament. Before she could yell at him, she heard a sizzling sound, followed by two loud thuds. Fred and George were sprawled on the floor, outside the Age Line, and sprouted thick white beards. Dumbledore entered the Great Hall, looking amused. He suggested that they go to the hospital wing where Madam Pomfrey was already fixing two other students who tried aging potions. As they walked up to the hospital wing, Lee laughing hysterically behind them, Aria groaned and rested her head against the door.

"Told you it wouldn't work"

"I don't see you putting your name in there"

"Maxime wants all of us to try but I'm not going to do it. I decided to let someone else have the spotlight. We both know if I entered, I'd win easily"

Aria remembered that Ben was seventeen. The Age Line would only prevent underage students from getting near the Goblet of Fire. Lifting her head from the door, she noticed that they were alone in the corridor. An idea popped into her head.

"You're right, Ben. You would win. I bet you're a great wizard"

She flicked her wand, removing her disguising charms. Her outfit changed to a black leather mini skirt, a low-cut sweater that accentuated her figure, and knee-high boots.

"Aria, change back. Someone could see"

"No one will see me. They're all busy in there"

Her hand brushed against his arm. "You're so muscular. I bet you're really strong"

"What are you"

She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Ben looked taken aback by her boldness. She curled his hair around her finger. His eyes kept drifting to her lips and farther down her body.

"Am I making you nervous, Ben?"

"Pfft, n—no"

"I feel your heart racing. You know, if you put my name in the Goblet of Fire, I would owe you a big favor. It's the weekend so we could go down to Hogsmeade. We can be all alone in a dark booth at the Three Broomsticks. I should warn you though"

She leaned on her toes, moving close to his ear. "I might bite" she whispered.

Conjuring a paper, she slid it into his hand. She batted her eyelashes innocently.

"I'm holding you to that. Stay here and change back before someone sees you"

As he entered the Great Hall, she returned to her disguise. Ben put the paper into the Goblet of Fire. Draco, Blaise, and Theodore were leaving the dungeons.

"Anyone interesting put their name in yet?" asked Theodore, yawning.

"Yep, me" she replied, smugly.

"What? That's impossible"

"Not when you get an older student to do it for you. When I get picked as champion and win this whole tournament, I might let you have some of the money"

She was distracted by a piece of paper hitting her face. Looking at the paper, she saw _Aaron Shaw, Hogwarts_. Dumbledore was leaving the Great Hall with McGonagall.

"A very admirable attempt, Mister Shaw. I was prepared if you made it past the Age Line. I placed a spell over the Goblet of Fire so that your name would be rejected. Slytherin would be proud of your resourcefulness"

"But I—that's not fair"

"Mister Shaw, you are not getting into the tournament. I suggest you accept that and move on" said McGonagall.

"I need to go hit something" she whispered.

Aria walked over to the gym. She took out her frustrations on the punching bag. As she lifted weights on the bench press, she muttered to herself about the Ministry's stupid rules. Ben appeared in front of her. He leaned his hand on the weight. His enhanced strength made it even harder to hold up and she struggled to keep it from falling onto her.

"Stop it"

"Come on, toughen up, little wolf"

Her arms shook from the heavy weight. Taking it out of her hands, he tossed it on the ground. She sat up, glaring at him.

"Why did you do that?"

"Motivation to be the best you can be"

"You're not funny"

"You are a very naughty girl, flirting with me to get into the tournament. I still want that date"

Aria scoffed and walked over to the weight rack. Ben moved behind her, pinning her arms behind her back. She struggled against his grip.

"Why are you in here? Are you fighting someone?"

"Let go of me"

"It must be another shifter if you're trying to increase your strength. Here's some advice"

His hand slid under her shirt, pressing his fingers just under her rib cage. Her stomach twisted into knots.

"If you get them right here, they're helpless..."

"Good to know"

"So about that date"

She elbowed his stomach, making him let go of her. "Not a date. I'll take you to Hogsmeade but after that, you stop bothering me"

"Once you get to know me, you won't want me to leave you alone"

Aria brought him down to Hogsmeade. Ben wanted her to look like her real self. She was reluctant, worried that someone could recognize her. He assured her that he would keep her safe. She removed the disguising charms and changed her outfit to a pair of skinny jeans, camisole, cropped leather jacket, and sneakers. Ben was looking at her as she tied her hair up in a ponytail.

"What?"

"I like you better when you're dressed like this. Your other outfit wasn't you"

"Don't all guys like that?"

"I guess I'm not like them"

They walked into the Three Broomsticks. Since everyone was up at the castle, it was packed with adults. Ben pulled her over to a corner booth. She sat down, keeping a small distance between them. A waitress took their order and conjured mugs of butterbeer.

"This isn't a date" she reminded him.

"Got it. Our next one will be a date"

"This isn't a next time. Like I said, when we're done, you'll leave me alone for good"

Aria repeatedly told herself not to fall for Ben's charms. She was finding it difficult as they spent time together in Hogsmeade. Ben was extremely charming and had a great sense of humor. She did not expect to have fun with him. He opened up to her about his life, telling her how he lost his own parents when he was barely five years old. Their death led to him and his brother living with their grandparents in France. Though she hated to admit it, Ben did know a lot more than her about being a shifter. His grandfather had been there to guide him through it. Her father's journal and Lupin were useful but it was not the same. She imagined that if her father was not stuck in Azkaban, he would have been there for her transformations.

They were inside Honeyduke's, looking at the different sweets. He attempted to get her to try some ice mice.

"Just one"

"No. I don't like them"

"You've never even tried them"

"I don't"

Ben slipped one into her mouth. Her teeth chattered and she let out a squeak. He snickered. She pushed his shoulder.

"Shut up"

Flicking her wand, she caused a nearby chocolate fountain to tip over his head. She giggled, seeing him covered in chocolate.

"Oh you're dead"

Aria ran out of the shop. She did not realize that it was nighttime already. As she headed towards the castle, she was tackled to the ground. She ended up on top of Ben.

"Ha, pinned you"

"I just wasn't ready"

"Excuses"

He grabbed her and flipped her over, getting on top. She was breathing heavily. His eyes shined in the darkness.

"I got _your_ heart racing now" he whispered.

"We should get back. They're doing the champion selection"

"You really want to go?"

Her mind was telling her to run back to the castle but her legs felt frozen. He brushed her hair away from her face.

"No"

Ben's face was leaning closer and closer to her. Panicking, she pushed him aside. She got up from the ground.

"Bet you can't catch me again"

Aria ran towards the Forbidden Forest. She stopped when she heard Dumbledore shout Harry's name and glanced at the castle. Passing it off as nothing, she continued to run, letting Ben chase her…

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading. The next chapter is the big reveal. All of your guesses have been fun to read. I like that they're all different because there really is a chance for anyone to find out since Aria interacts with a lot of people. I will say that it is going to be a student, not a teacher, who finds out the truth about Aria. **


	27. Dark Haven

When Aria returned to the castle later that night with Ben, she immediately regretted not being at the champion selection. The Slytherin common room was abuzz with chatter and slanderous words against Harry. It turned out that Dumbledore shouted his name because it had come out of the Goblet of Fire, written on a piece of paper. Due to the binding magical contract, Harry had no choice but to compete in the tournament. Most of the Slytherins believed that Harry entered his name to get even more fame and attention. Draco suggested that Harry had the spotlight taken off of him by Viktor Krum's arrival so he somehow got himself into the tournament to win back the school's admiration. Knowing Harry, Aria highly doubted that he would put himself in danger. Despite what the Slytherins believed, Harry disliked his fame and constantly being fawned over by the wizarding world. Aria met with him the next day and immediately could tell that Harry was as clueless as the rest of the school. Though she trusted that he did not enter his own name, Ron was furious with his best friend.

Harry's name emerging from the Goblet of Fire was the final straw for Ron, who always felt second best to him. The same night of the champion selection, they had a huge fight and their friendship was completely broken. Hermione and Aria found themselves stuck in the middle, trying to get them to talk to each other with little success. The situation was worse for Hermione, who had to deal with them in the Gryffindor common room at night. It turned out that Ron was not the only one angry with Harry. The Hufflepuffs had felt that Harry took away the glory from Cedric, who had been chosen as the other Hogwarts champion. Cedric's friends insisted that Aria only support him in the tournament but she refused to abandon Harry since both were her friends. She would cheer them on and hope that neither got too badly injured. More worried for Harry's safety, with him being the youngest champion by a few years, she promised to help Harry with the tasks.

As Harry got shunned by the other houses for something out of his control, Draco took the opportunity to bully him even more as the weeks passed. He would make loud jokes about wanting Harry's autograph and the high chance that Harry would not last even five minutes in the tournament. It was like an early Christmas present for him, watching Harry be shunned by his peers.

Aria was sitting at the Gryffindor table for lunch with Ben, Harry, and Hermione. After their trip to Hogsmeade, she began to spend more time with Ben. Beneath his slightly cocky attitude, he was a kind, caring person. She admitted that it was great to be friends with someone who understood her shifter abilities. He had been through the same problems as her, such as the intense meat cravings and an urge to shift at the full moon. Some nights, they would go into the forest for fun. Running through the trees in the moonlight made her feel carefree. Harry was reading a passage in his Charms book on summoning spells. In their Charms lesson before lunch, he had done almost as bad as Neville, gaining him extra work from Flitwick.

"Don't worry about it. You're just preoccupied by the tournament"

He closed his book. "Be honest. What do you think about me competing?"

"Oh, you're screwed"

"Aaron!" exclaimed Hermione as Ben stifled a laugh.

"What? He said to be honest. Harry, you've got no chance of winning but we'll make sure you don't die. There's a chance you might lose a limb or two but girls love a guy with an injury"

"Comforting" he replied, sarcastically.

"I think you've got a good shot at third place. Fleur's a smart witch but she's terrible in competitions. In our fourth year, we did a dueling contest and she panicked so badly that she started to cry when my friend Jory hit her with a stinging hex that barely grazed her arm" said Ben.

As Hermione assured Harry that he would do well, Moody passed by the table. Aria felt Ben stiffen up beside her. His eyes did not leave Moody, who sat at the teachers' table and drank from his hip flask.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"Stay away from him"

"Moody? He's one of my teachers. I can't just ditch his class"

"There's something not right about him. Do you get those two scents at once?"

Aria nodded, thinking about how she smelled two scents everytime she was in the DADA classroom. She never knew what caused it.

"It's happened every time I'm in his class"

"And I've smelled it around him a few times"

"What does it mean?"

"Something bad. I'll look into it. Just don't be alone with him, okay? Promise me"

"Okay. I promise to cancel our date later" she teased.

"Aria, I'm serious. There's something not right about him"

Once the bell rang, everyone left the Great Hall. Ben squeezed her hand lightly and followed the Beauxbatons students to an empty classroom on the second floor. Madame Maxime was teaching their lessons since they were not at their own school. A group of girls walked past her, giggling over Cedric. Some of them had small badges pinned to their uniforms. They moved too quickly for her to read the message but she did see Cedric's name. She thought the badges were for some kind of Cedric Diggory fan club. Ever since Cedric had become a Hogwarts champion, girls treated him like a celebrity, similar to their behavior around Krum. Aria had seen him signing autographs on their purses and books and girls would follow him around the castle. She walked down to the dungeons for Potions.

The Slytherins were already waiting outside the classroom. Something gleamed on their robes in the dim light. As she got closer, she noticed that they were wearing badges, all with the same message: _Support CEDRIC DIGGORY – The REAL Hogwarts Champion_. Aria mentally prepared herself for the stupidity of her housemates.

"Like them, Potter? Watch what else they do" said Draco,his loud voice catching the attention of the other fourth years.

He pressed his hand into the badge. The words changed to _POTTER STINKS. _Howling with laughter, the rest of the Slytherins did the same to their badges. Harry struggled to hide his embarassment. Aria looked over at the Gryffindors. Ron stayed next to Seamus and Dean, leaning against the wall. She thought that he would defend Harry but he did nothing, acting like a stubborn child. Blaise tossed her a badge. She crushed it into dust with her hand, disgusted.

Draco took out another badge from his pocket. "Want one, Granger? I've got loads but don't touch my hands. I've just washed them and I don't want a mudblood sliming it up"

Aria glared harshly. "Don't call her that"

Harry chose a more aggressive approach, reaching for his wand. Hermione warned him not to get into a fight. Draco grabbed his own wand, twirlng it between his fingers.

"Go on, Potter. Moody's not here to help you. Do it, if you've got the guts"

Simultaneously, they shouted the spells. The jets of light hit each other in midair and bounced off at random angles. Harry's spell hit Goyle while Draco's hit Hermione. Ignoring Goyle, who was holding his nose in pain, Aria hurried over to Hermione. Ron joined her, his face filled with worry. She covered her mouth, panicking. Her hands did not hide the effects of the spell, which caused her teeth to grow a fast rate, making her look like a beaver. The Slytherin girls giggled gleefully, pointing at Hermione.

"What is all this noise about?" asked Snape, finally arriving at the classroom.

He looked at Draco for an explanation. Unsurprisingly, Draco lied, claiming that Harry had attacked him. Harry interrupted his story, attempting to tell the truth. Goyle's nose was now fully covered in boils. Snape sent him to the hospital wing. Aria bit back a rude insult when Snape ignored what Draco had done to Hermione, passing it off as nothing. With tears in her eyes, Hermione ran out of the dungeons. The Slytherin girls continued to giggle quietly, turning red in the face. Aria could feel her teeth getting sharper as Harry and Ron shouted at Snape, calling him many things.

"Let's see. Fifty points from Gryffindor and a detention each for Potter and Weasley. Now get inside or it'll be a week's detention for you both"

The fourth years entered the classroom. Harry and Ron walked past Snape, both fuming. Aria headed towards the dungeons entrance. Daphne grabbed her arm.

"Aaron, what are you doing? We have class"

"I don't care about potions. I'm going to check on Hermione"

"That bookworm geek is fine"

"She's my friend. I don't like when you tease her. None of you are perfect. At least she's not a complete bitch"

The girls stared at her in silent shock. Aria walked up to the hospital wing. Goyle was laying on a bed with green paste on his nose. Pomfrey was attending to Hermione on a bed at the end of the room.

"Mister Shaw, you should be in class"

"I want to make sure that Hermione is okay. I'll be okay without another lesson on antidotes"

Aria sat on the window ledge. Pomfrey had her wand pointed at Hermione's teeth. They had now grown past her shirt collar. Hermione had tears trickling down her face. As Pomfrey took out her wand, Aria grabbed Hermione's hand, comfortingly. Pomfrey handed her a mirror.

"This won't hurt, dear. Just hold this mirror and tell me when to stop. Denreducio"

A jet of blue light hit Hermione's teeth, causing them to slowly decrease in length. After a minute, Hermione stopped her. Her teeth were different than usual, now straight and normal-sized. Pomfrey wanted her to rest for the night to ensure the spell's effects wore off completely. Hermione put down the mirror.

"How do I look?"

"Like you used magic to fix your teeth. What will your parents say, young lady?"

"They'll get over it. Magic is much easier than braces. You didn't have to stay with me"

"You're my friend. I'm sure if Ron and Harry weren't so busy yelling at Snape, they would've come too"

Aria stayed in the hospital wing with Hermione for the entire Potions lesson and the beginning of dinner. Hermione told her to not waste her night there. Promising to check on her in the morning, Aria left the hospital wing and walked down the staircase. Adrian and Graham were leaving the Great Hall.

"Hey Aaron. Any chance you want to do my detention for McGonagall? She overreacted to a little prank of ours on some baby Hufflepuffs" said Adrian.

"No thanks. Have you seen Malfoy?"

"He's out by the lake with some other Slytherins, having a party" replied Graham.

As she neared the lake, she saw Draco, Blaise, Theodore, and a few older Slytherin guys with the Beauxbaton girls. They were swimming in the lake and drinking firewhiskey and butterbeer. Damon grabbed a redheaded girl named Sophie by the waist. She smacked his hand away from the string of her bikini top, flashing him a flirtatious smile. Draco was getting out of the water, brushing his wet hair out of his eyes.

"Finally. We didn't think you'd make it to the party. Blaise convinced the Beauxbatons girls to have a little fun"

He handed her a bottle of firewhiskey. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"What the hell is your problem?"

"Wh—oh, is this about your little girlfriend Granger? It was nothing serious. I'm sure I made her more attractive to her fellow beavers"

"That isn't funny. Your stupid badges aren't funny. How you keep picking on Harry isn't funny. Do you sense a common theme? You're not funny"

"Lighten up, Aaron. I don't know how you can keep sticking up for Potter. All he cares about is getting everyone to adore him"

"He doesn't even want to be in the tournament. He's scared out of his mind and your constant teasing doesn't help"

Draco pretended to wipe away a tear. "Poor itty bitty Potter. I'm so sorry for him"

He laughed when she suggested that he apologize to both Harry and Hermione. She was getting fed up with his arrogance. He pointed to one of the Beauxbatons girls.

"I'm pretty sure she's part veela. You should go for her"

"I don't care. You are going up to the hospital wing with me right now and apologizing to Hermione"

"No I'm not. Just let it go and have fun"

"I'll make you apologize"

"Oh really? How are you going to do that?"

Aria shoved him roughly. He stumbled over a boulder, almost losing his balance. Before he could even reach for his wand, she cast a disarming charm, causing his wand to fly into the grass. People from the lake began to notice their fight. She grabbed Draco by his hair.

"If you don't apologize and stop being such a git, we'll have a real duel, no holding back. I promise you that you will come out of it with your snooty little face scratched up and you'll beg for your mommy" she hissed.

Pushing him aside, she walked back towards the castle. She sensed something coming at her. Moving a step to the right, she saw Draco fall into the grass. He wiped dirt from his face, getting to his feet.

"No one talks to me like that. You think you're so tough, Aaron…fight me"

"You're just going to embarrass yourself"

She continued up the dirt path. Suddenly, her head seared with pain and she saw flashes of the land from her nightmares. She clutched her head, closing her eyes tightly. The pain got worse and she could hear that same deep voice, calling to her. Draco moved in front of her.

"Don't be a cow—what's wrong with you? Is it that summoning spell again?" he asked, sounding concerned.

Her necklace glowed under her shirt. He pulled on the chain.

"Let go of it"

"Why is it doing that?"

She tugged on the necklace but Draco would not let go of it. He repeated the same question, asking what was happening to her necklace. She felt the ground getting softer beneath her. Glancing down, she saw a portal forming in the ground. Both Aria and Draco fell through and slammed into a hard surface. She groaned, her head rattling from the impact of the fall. They were no longer at Hogwarts. Their new surroundings reminded her of her nightmares. The glow had faded from her necklace. Her uniform felt much baggier than usual. She found her wand near the edge of a small pond. Draco was nearby, still on his back. He stood up, rubbing his neck.

"Aaron, what the bloody hell was"

Looking at her, he stopped, his eyes widening to the size of a quaffle. She was confused by his reaction.

"Clare? H—how are you here? Where's Aaron?"

Aria turned her head towards the pond. She was no longer in her Aaron disguise, which explained the baggy clothes. Thinking up a quick plan, she made ghostly sounds.

"Ooooh, it's not really me. You're in a dream. You hit your head really bad and this isn't real. Ooooh"

She watched as Draco slowly worked out things in his head. Draco's expression constantly changed, switching from surprise to confusion to anger. His fists clenched and he stepped towards her.

"It bloody is not! It was you the whole time! You were pretending to be Clare at the Christmas party. She doesn't exist. Why would—it was you…you sent those pictures and letters to Pansy's father"

"Draco"

His lip curled in revulsion. "What, are you in love with me or something? That's why you're not interested in Daphne, Talia…the other girls who flirt with you. You're into guys. You're into me"

"Don't make me vomit" she said, shuddering at the thought of liking Draco.

She flicked her wand, casting a sleeping hex. When nothing happened, she remembered how her wand did not work in her nightmares. Draco was looking increasingly murderous. She sprinted across the clearing, hearing him shouting behind her. The baggy clothes made it harder for her to run. Her pant leg caught on a branch. Trying to free herself, she got tackled by Draco. He pinned her arms at her side.

"Get off me"

"Just admit that you've got some insane crush on me. I get it, Aaron. I'm a catch"

"Yea, I'm so into arrogant little snotrags" she replied, sarcastically.

"Why aren't you changing back? Why did you randomly turn into Clare?"

Draco looked down at her necklace. He lifted it up, his eyes on the symbol. She searched for any kind of object to use against him. Without magic, she was limited in ways to defend herself.

"I know this…I've seen it before. It's—Ethan has this same symbol on a necklace he always wore. He got it from his grandfather. It's the Collins family crest. Why"

She was silent as he stared at her. "You're Graham's cousin. You're Aria Collins…y—you died"

"Then I'm a pretty solid ghost"

Grabbing a rock, she hit him in the head. He fell off of her. She continued to run, looking for any way back to Hogwarts. A sign hung loosely from a large oak tree with the words _Dark Haven _in jagged letters. She took off her loose pants and large dress shoes. Her only clothing was her white button down shirt, which now extended past her knees. Sensing Draco running behind her, she stuck out her arm. He ran into it, knocking him to the ground. Blood seeped from the side of his head. Angrily, he raised his fist to punch her. She grabbed it, feeling his bones start to crack.

"How are you that strong? I've seen dogs bigger than you" he asked, wincing.

"Stop trying to hit me. Like I said before, you'll just embarrass yourself"

"We're going to talk about"

"Shut up"

"Don't tell me to shut up, Sh—Collins! It's been you from the start, hasn't it? You tried to destroy my family through that contract with the Parkinsons, you've been torturing my father, and you almost killed him! What the hell did he ever did to you?"

Aria turned to him, letting out a low growl. Draco's glare faltered slightly. She pushed him against a tree, holding her wand to his neck.

"He tried to kidnap me and killed my mother right in front of me"

"Your mother killed herself"

"That's what they convinced everyone to think. Your father told one of his men to kill her. I saw the life leave her eyes and her body crumple to the floor. If you want an apology for what I did to him, you're never going to get it. He deserves all of it"

"You're mental"

"The only delusional one here is you. You think your father's so great, don't you? He doesn't give a damn about anyone. None of those death eaters care. They took away my father, who I can't even remember, and my own family was willing to separate me from my mother…all for some lunatic who was killed by a toddler. So forgive me if I have little sympathy for a smarmy rat like you who still has his loving family and everything he could possibly want while I struggled to survive on a daily basis"

Hearing a twig snap, she instinctively looked around her, holding out her wand. She heard a soft chuckle.

"Still as paranoid as ever, I see"

Her eyes widened, seeing a middle-aged man step out from between the trees. He was wearing a dull grey prison uniform with shackles around his wrists. She recognized him as Sebastien, the man who taught her the wizard's curse and other advanced spells. Sebastien had taken her in for a short time and when he learned about her predicament, he taught her to defend herself. He was the reason that she could do magic far beyond her age. She had not seen him in years. He looked very different from their last encounter. In the past, despite his age, he was very handsome and well-built. Though he still had the muscle, his dark hair had flecks of grey in it and his face and hands were badly scarred. He smiled, revealing yellow teeth. Another man appeared behind him. He looked Aria up and down, licking his lips.

"She's a pretty one" he said in a gruff voice.

"You will not touch her, Carter. Be respectful"

"You were the one putting those creepy nightmares in my head. You were that ghost thing I kept seeing in the castle"

"This land restricts magic. I was able to muster up a bit of it to contact you. You've certainly grown. I was expecting the same little girl I met in that alley"

"I—is there where you went when you told me I had to leave? What is this place?"

Draco was keeping his distance from the two men. Sebastien explained that _Dark Haven_ was a place for criminal wizards. If the Ministry thought that they were beyond redemption or a high risk to escape, a portkey was used to send them here. The prisoners had their wands snapped since various enchantments prevented the use of magic. There was little chance of ever leaving this land. Most of the wizarding community, even those high up in the Ministry, did not know about it. If a wizard was sent here, the Ministry would usually just pretend that they had been killed in a fight with the aurors. Sebastien had been captured around four years ago. Aria recalled that he heavily practiced dark magic. She had never known why he sent her away from his home, only assuming that he did not want the responsibility of a child.

"Why did you want me here?"

"Because you owe me, Aria. I spared your life that day in the alley and I cared for you. I helped to keep you safe, hid you away from people who wanted to hurt you. I have one small favor to ask…get me out of here"

"Not bloody likely. You've lost your mind, old man" replied Draco.

Aria felt conflicted over his request. Sebastien was right that without him, she could have been dead. He had taught her so much in their time together. He swore to her that he would keep himself out of trouble. Draco tugged her arm, pulling her over to the tree.

"Collins, don't be stupid. I know what he did. He was all over the _Daily Prophet_ when he got captured. He killed people"

"Same as your father, lad. I've repented…unlike him" said Sebastien.

"I don't believe you. He's a dark wizard, Collins. It would be like bringing back you know who. He deserves to be here"

"As does your father. He's done far worse than me. If anyone should be in this retched place, it's him"

"Why would you even bring her here? If there's no magic, we can't get you out"

"Think of how you got here. Aria, you know I keep my word. I would be indebted to you if you helped me and Carter to escape"

She was unsure if she could create a portal long enough for four people, let alone one back to Hogwarts. Sebastien walked over to her. Draco backed away, anxiously.

"I know you can do this. You're a special girl. You've got more power inside you than you know. Just tap into that power"

Aria twirled her necklace multiple times. He gripped her shoulder as a portal formed in front of her. Carter immediately jumped into the gaping hole. Draco was staring at the portal, surprised. Sebastien pushed him forward and he and Aria jumped through together. A second later, they were inside the Forbidden Forest. Sebastien used magic to break the shackles.

"Thank you. I will see you again, I hope" he whispered, kissing her forehead.

He and Carter transfigured into an eagle and hawk respectively, flying out of the forest. Draco's eyes were still on the ground where the portal had been moments ago. Aria felt herself being lifted off of the ground. Ben had his arms around her in a bone-crushing hug. He checked her for any cuts or bruises.

"I was worr—Fleur and Sophie said you had vanished and—why are you half-naked?"

"My clothes got too big"

"Am I interrupting your little moment with your boyfriend? Am I in a special club that knows your secret?"

"He's not my boyfriend, ferret" she retorted, glaring.

Ben looked between the two of them. He remarked that Draco was seeing her as herself, not Aaron. Aria thought of casting a memory charm on him to make him forget this entire incident.

"If you tell anyone"

"Oh, I'm not" he said, sounding serious.

She looked at him, confused. He smirked, his eyes glinting with mischief.

"I'm going to watch you screw yourself over, Collins. You can only keep up this act for so long. Soon enough, people will start to see through it and then they'll know everything. How you've been torturing my family, faked your own death, pretended to be a guy…they'll think you're mental. Maybe they'll throw you in a cell next to your pathetic father"

Draco did not even take one step when Ben grabbed him forcefully. Ben snarled, his eyes turning golden.

"I'll bite him"

"Ben, don't. Dumbledore will know what bit him and it'll make a whole big mess"

"Then he's making an unbreakable vow"

"The hell I am. Get your hands off me"

Draco stopped wrestling against Ben's grip at the sight of his eyes. "W—what are you?"

"Someone you don't want to make angry, Malfoy"

Letting go of Draco, Ben told him to grab Aria's arm. Draco still refused to make the vow. He changed his mind when Ben growled, showing his sharp teeth, and threatened to kill him. Muttering to himself, Draco grabbed her wrist. She held onto his own, focusing on Ben, though she could feel Draco's eyes on her.

"Ben, I don't want to"

"It's the only way to make sure he keeps his mouth shut. He won't risk dying"

Ben placed the tip of his wand onto their linked hands. "Will you, Draco Malfoy, promise to never tell Aria's identity to anyone?"

"Yes" he mumbled.

A thin stream of fire emitted from the wand, wrapping around their hands tightly.

"Will you promise to never tell anyone about where you just were and what happened?"

"Yes" he replied as another stream of fire weaved around the first flame.

Ben moved his wand. Aria immediately let go of Draco, not wanting to be near him. He stopped as he walked past her.

"Just remember a little something, Collins. Two can play this game. Watch your back. I might not be able to tell anyone but I can still make your life a living hell with this new secret" he whispered.

She watched him leave the forest, a small part of her hoping that he did break the vow…

* * *

**A/N: I had always planned for Draco to find out Aria's secret early on in fourth year. Before this chapter, Sirius, Lupin, and Ben knew the truth. All three were not going to expose her because they were on her side. Draco is more of a wild card. She has done bad things to him and his family and despite Aria telling him about his father's involvement in her mother's death, he is still angry with her. Even though he made the unbreakable vow, it only prevents him from ****_telling_**** someone about Aria's identity. He could easily set it up so that others find out about her. Now that Draco knows the truth, it is going to cause a shift in their relationship. It is going to become more complicated because Draco heard from both Aria and Sebastien, who he saw as a dark wizard, that his father has done terrible things in his past and maybe Draco does not know his father that well. He's going to struggle with thinking that Aria is crazy for wanting to hurt his father as he learns more. **


	28. The First Task

Draco had been very serious when he threatened Aria with tormenting her. The past week had shown her that he was holding an intense grudge after learning the truth, including how Aria had almost bankrupted his family by masquerading as 'Clare'. Bullying Harry had become less important to him, his new target becoming Aria. Since the unbreakable vow prevented him from telling anyone about her real identity, he resorted to more childish tactics. He would made snide comments that referenced her being a girl or about her family. She became very irritated when he remarked that she had inherited her father's supposed mental illness. It took all of her strength, plus Ben restraining her, to keep her from ripping off Draco's head and punting it out of the castle like a football. While Draco constantly bothered Aria, the other Slytherins were more concerned with teasing Harry.

The day after Aria and Draco's adventure to _Dark Haven_, an article about Harry appeared in the _Daily Prophet_. Written by Rita Skeeter, it focused mainly on Harry, shunting the other three Triwizard champions aside. Cedric's name had not even been mentioned in the article, angering the Hufflepuffs. Skeeter made wild assertions, claiming that Harry cried nightly about his parents and that he and Hermione were in a relationship. The article painted Harry as a tragic figure who wanted to make his parents proud and believed their spirits would protect him during the tournament. While Harry was embarrassed by the ridiculous article, the Slytherins found it hilarious and quoted it when passing him in the corridors. The teasing would only get worse as the tournament continued and Skeeter wrote more articles.

Aria was woken up by the sunlight shining on her face. She found herself in a clearing in the Forbidden Forest. The night before, she and Ben had gone on one of their runs in the moonlight. Her head was resting against Ben's shoulder and she could feel his arm around her waist. His grip tightened on her waist as he continued to sleep. Sitting up, she noticed that she was half-naked, wearing only a bra and panties, and Ben had on a pair of boxers. She smacked his forehead. He bolted up, looking around wildly.

"What happened?" he asked, holding back a yawn.

"We fell asleep in the forest…and we're not wearing clothes. Did we"

His eyes drifted to her exposed chest. She quickly covered herself with her arms. He laughed, angering Aria. None of this seemed funny to her.

"No, we didn't—did your mother never give you the birds and bees talk?"

"I was 8 when I last saw her. I know about—that stuff"

"Sex? You're adorable when you're this naïve. No, we didn't do anything"

"Well, how was I supposed to know? I blacked out again. It keeps happening"

Finding her wand in the grass, she conjured her uniform. Ben assured her that the blackouts would go away as she got older. She was still new to her shifter transformations. New shifters sometimes struggled with remembering what happened when they were in their wolf form. He compared it to werewolf transformations when the person did not drink a wolfsbane potion. After they got dressed and Aria cast her disguising charms, they left the forest.

"Trust me, you'll stop blacking out soon. I'm here to keep you safe. I won't anything happen to you"

Some students were already leaving the Great Hall. It looked like they had missed breakfast. Beauxbatons students passed by them. Ben's friend Jory told him that Maxime was taking them on a special trip and they had to meet her by their carriage. When Aria questioned where they would be going, Ben suggested that it was somewhere boring. The Beauxbatons students went on these 'special trips' with Maxime and the other professors every month. Usually, the only person to have fun was Maxime. Last year, she had taken them to a dragon reserve where a student had almost been eaten by a Norwegian Ridgeback.

"Well, if someone does get eaten this time, you better get good pictures"

"I'll bring you back the body" he joked.

He stopped at the entrance doors. "Oh, and if we did do anything last night, you would definitely remember it"

She rolled her eyes. He winked at her and left the castle.

"Cocky bastard"

Aria went down to the Slytherin common room. Today was a Hogsmeade trip and she decided to spend the day with Hermione and Harry. She did not want to deal with the Slytherins making jokes at their expense. Blaise hurried past her, telling her to meet them later by the Shrieking Shack. The guys had been planning a prank, wanting to scare the girls. As she opened the door, she got flustered, immediately covering her eyes. Draco had been walking around the room, completely naked. She mentally erased the scarring image from her mind. It was the closest she had come to being frightened in her life.

"Collins, here you are. You disappeared last night. Where were you? Destroying more families? Setting puppies on fire? Is something wrong?"

"Why…are you naked?"

"I'm going to take a shower. You don't need to cover your eyes. We're both guys. I've got the same parts as you. Oh wait, no I don't because you're a girl. You know, a lot of girls would love to be in your position right now. Not even Pansy has seen this much"

"Put a towel on"

"It's my room. I can do whatever I want. Is it bothering you?"

Even without seeing him, she could tell that Draco had that annoying smirk on his face. He would not put on clothes for two reasons, he could do whatever he wanted in his room and it made Aria uncomfortable. She continued to cover her eyes. The heavy cologne smell emanating from him made it easy to track him. She waited until his scent became much weaker. Cautiously, she moved her hand down and sighed with relief when she heard the water running in the bathroom.

She grabbed her money pouch from her backpack and placed it in her jacket pocket. Thinking up a fun prank, she opened the bathroom door quietly. She pointed her wand at the shower, casting a hot-air charm. Draco yelled when he felt the boiling hot water on his skin.

"Collins!"

"Getting too hot for you, ferret?"

Hurrying out of their room, she locked the door from the outside. She giggled, hearing him crash into the door. He tugged on the door handle. Unable to unlock it, he resorted to banging on the door angrily.

"You're a poor excuse for a wizard, Malfoy. A toddler could reverse this charm faster than you. Have fun getting out of there"

"You think I care about being locked in here?"

"You'll want out when that skrewt wakes up"

"What sk"

Flicking her wand, she conjured one of Hagrid's skrewts. The skrewts had been growing at an extremely fast pace, now over three feet long. Draco backed against the door. She could practically feel his fear.

"Collins!"

"You'll be okay. Like you keep telling me, you're from the great line of Malfoys. There's nothing you can't do. Good luck, pal"

She left the common room and met Harry and Hermione by the grand staircase. Harry was holding his invisibility cloak. Despite Hermione's attempts for reconciliation, Harry and Ron refused to go to Hogsmeade together. The article by Rita Skeeter had made the tension between them worse. It fueled Ron's belief that Harry was enjoying the attention he received from being in the tournament. Aria tried to get him to see that Harry would never willingly enter his name but he was too stubborn. Harry decided to wear his invisibility cloak on the trip in case they met up with Ron. Aria looked at him, strangely.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"I am not talking to him, Aaron. He's the one being stupid, thinking that I put my name into the Goblet of Fire"

"Maybe if you talked it out"

"No" he replied, bluntly.

Harry followed a group of fifth years out of the castle. They were wearing the _Support Cedric Diggory_ badges like most students in the school. He ignored their taunts.

"It's like talking to a brick wall"

Hermione nodded. "Ron is no better"

They hurried after Harry and the three of them entered the village. Harry put the cloak over him as a way to avoid any hecklers. Their day spent at Hogsmeade was very awkward for Aria and Hermione. They struggled with talking to Harry without looking suspicious to other people. At times, they would think they were speaking to him but he was not in a completely different spot. Rita Skeeter walked past them when they left Honeyduke's. Being one for gossip, they assumed that she wanted to stay for the first task of the tournament. They entered the Three Broomsticks to escape the cold air. Aria spotted Ron with Fred, George, and Lee at a back table. Aria led them over to a corner booth and sat between Harry and Hermione. She paid for their butterbeers, lying to the waitress that the third butterbeer was for a friend that would be arriving at the pub later. Picking up the third mug, she slid it under his cloak.

"No offense, but this is really weird"

"I don't mind. I haven't had to deal with people teasing me about crying over my dead parents all day"

"Yea, because they're busy thinking that me and Hermione have gone insane"

Hermione had reached into her bag, taking out her notebook filled with a record of S.P.E.W members. Aria kept quiet when she suggested getting some of the villagers involved in their cause. She heard the bell ring above the door. Cho and her large group of friends entered the pub. Though they were not wearing the badges, Aria knew that they were mainly supporting Cedric in the tournament. Aria had seen Cho spending a lot of time with Cedric in places like the library and the Great Hall. Cho would constantly laugh at his jokes, even if they were not that funny. He clearly enjoyed the attention from the girls. Aria would be lying to herself if she said she did not feel a tiny bit jealous. Harry had gone oddly quiet, no longer complaining about Hermione's obsession with house elf rights.

"What's up with him?"

"He's probably staring at Cho. He likes her" whispered Hermione.

"Seriously? He likes her too?"

"Too? Do you like Cho?"

Aria scoffed. "No, she's been fawning over Cedric a lot…ever since he became a champion. All she does is giggle and flip her hair. What is it about her? Does the space between her legs have some magical superpower over guys?"

Hermione smacked Aria's shoulder with her notebook. She looked shocked by her rude comment.

"Aaron" she hissed.

"What? I want to know what makes her so damn special. She's really not that smart for a Ravenclaw. Cedric's a great guy but some of his jokes are really lame and she laughs at them"

"You hardly know her. I'm sure she's a very nice girl"

"With magical sex powers" muttered Aria, seeing Cho at a table with other sixth years, including Cedric.

Hermione, wanting to change the subject of their conversation, pointed out Hagrid and Moody by the bar. Madam Rosmerta, the landlady, was handing Hagrid a mug, which was large enough to house a small dog. Moody drank, as always, from his hip flask. Aria wondered if he had hidden liquor in the flask to deal with teaching classes. As they began to leave the pub, Moody's magical eye shifted towards their booth and he muttered something to Hagrid. Both men walked over to the small corner booth.

"All right there, Hermione, Aaron?" asked Hagrid.

Both greeted him kindly. Moody limped next to the end of the booth. Aria heard Moody speak directly to Harry. She did not expect that his eye could see past the enchantments on the invisibility cloak.

"Your eye can—you can see" stuttered Harry.

"Yeah, it can see through invisibility cloaks. It's come in useful at times, I can tell you"

"So it can see through any enchantment?" whispered Aria, curiously.

Moody looked at her. "Not everything, Shaw. I can still get fooled by polyjuice potions and similar tricks. Don't think you can get anything past me"

"Never, sir. You don't have to worry about me causing trouble"

Aria was comforted by the fact that his magical eye could not see past disguises. After her recent portal incident, she had ensured that her disguising charms held up in all kinds of situations. Hagrid lowered his head, his eyes on the S.P.E.W. notebook. In a very low voice, he whispered to Harry that he should meet him at his cabin at midnight.

"Nice ter see yeh, both"

Hagrid and Moody left the pub. "Why does Hagrid want me to meet him at midnight?"

"Does he? I don't know if you should go, Harry" said Hermione, worried.

"It must be important. Maybe he has something to help you with the first task" suggested Aria.

"You think he knows what it is?"

Aria shrugged. "It's possible. He's close with Dumbledore, right? Dumbledore is one of the judges so he must know what to expect. They could've talked about it"

"I guess. I can tell Hagrid I'm in a hurry so that I don't miss Sirius. Aaron, he said he'd talk to you after. He didn't think it would be safe for you to sneak to the Gryffindor common room so late"

"I'll be waiting. The Slytherins are usually down there until three in the morning but I'll get them out"

Around dinnertime, they returned to the castle. When she entered the Slytherin common room, she was confronted by Blaise and Theodore. She had never met with them at the Shrieking Shack for their prank. They bragged that it had been very successful and Aria missed out on a good laugh. The girls were upstairs, washing paint and chicken feathers off of their bodies. Two hours later, they walked downstairs, still having paint on their faces. The girls refused to talk to Blaise, Theodore, and Draco. Daphne hit Blaise with a pillow from the couch. He shielded his head with her arms.

"It was a joke. It was funny"

"This blue paint on my face isn't funny, Blaise"

"You look like a smurf" said Aria.

Daphne responded by shooting a glare towards her. Aria smiled innocently.

"You should've been there, Aaron. You're just like a girl" said Draco, his arm around Pansy.

"Is that the best you've got, ferret prince? From what I hear, you're a little damsel in distress and Snape was your white knight this morning"

During her trip down to Hogsmeade, she overheard some younger Slytherins talking about Draco. One of the second year boys had heard him screaming and retrieved Snape from his office. Snape reversed the spell on the door, finding Draco hiding under his bed with his pillow over his head and the skrewt in front of him, raising its stinger. Snape had to restrain the skrewt with multiple ropes. Draco's body was covered from head to toe in burns. Theodore was curious how the skrewt entered the common room.

"It must have been a prank by a true genius"

"Or a psychopath" retorted Draco with a sneer.

"Still a genius. If you were any good at magic, you could've gotten out of that room with no problem"

Around one o' clock, Aria set her plan in motion. She had placed dungbombs all over the common room. It would keep the Slytherins upstairs for hours. Flicking her wand behind her back, she made them go off all at once. Dark green smoke filled the room, along with a putrid odor. Aria cast the bubble head charm to protect herself. As the Slytherins ran upstairs, she told her friends that she would find Snape to get rid of the smell. Within ten minutes, the common room was empty. She made the smell vanish and tapped her head, removing the bubble surrounding her.

Casting a soundproof charm on the room, she sat in front of the fireplace. The fire began to crackle and she smiled, seeing Sirius's face.

"So I haven't seen you since your birthday. What's been going on?"

Aria explained everything that had happened since the World Cup. She told him about meeting Ben. When she mentioned becoming friends, she felt herself blush at Sirius's wide grin. Sirius was surprised that she had met another shifter, commenting that they were rare these days. He did not know about Ben's grandfather meeting with her mother to protect Aria though he believed it was due to the shifters wanting to keep their own kind safe. She also told him about the portal incident where she freed Sebastien and Draco found out about her identity. Sirius looked very concerned.

"Don't worry. He's under an unbreakable vow. If he ever told anyone about me, he'd die"

"I don't care about mini Lucius. Why would you free someone from _Dark Haven_? How did you even get there?"

"It just happened. Draco was tugging on my necklace and I had been thinking about that place. The portal sent us there. It was an accident. I know it was a risk to help him but he's not a bad person, Sirius"

"Aria, if he was there"

"I get it. Bad people go to that place. Sebastien helped me when I had no one. He said he would stay out of trouble and he always keeps his word"

"He also put those nightmares in your head and freaked you out with some creepy apparition. I don't think you should see him again. He knows that you can make portals and any wizard could abuse that power. Promise me that you'll be careful. I don't know him personally but any wizard sent to _Dark Haven_ could be serious trouble"

"I doubt I'll ever see him again. He's not going to show up at Hogwarts. Have you heard anything from my dad? I don't want to risk sending him any letters"

"Not yet. Ever since the Dark Mark appeared at the World Cup, security's gotten much tighter at Azkaban. They'll want to inspect every letter for any enchantments that could help the prisoner escape. I'm sure he's doing fine"

Aria heard footsteps upstairs. Sirius promised to write to her soon and disappeared from the fireplace. She extinguished the flames and headed up the staircase.

For the next two days, Aria helped Harry prepare for the first task. It turned out that the task involved fighting a dragon. Hagrid had shown the four dragons to Harry, who was hidden by his invisibility cloak, and Maxime in the Forbidden Forest. Spotting Karkaroff nearby, Harry assumed that Viktor and Fleur would soon know about the task and decided to tell Cedric to give him a fair chance. Moody had suggested to Harry that he play to his strengths, such as flying. Harry got the idea to cast a summoning charm on his broom so that he could fly past the dragon. Aria and Hermione taught him the charm in an empty classroom. He was slowly getting better, being able to summon small objects.

Aria was in the stands of the enclosure near the edge of the forest. The champions were preparing for the task in a nearby tent. Fred and George walked through the stands, taking bets. She was with the Slytherins, who were attempting to see what was under the large cages. A nest of dragon eggs had been placed in the middle of the enclosure. Ben and his Beauxbatons friends moved down the row. Some of them were shivering, still not used to the cold weather.

"Nervous for Harry? Fleur told me about the dragons" he said, standing next to her.

"A little. We were practicing that summoning charm all night. As long as he concentrates, he'll be fine. If he's about to be eaten, I'll jump on the dragon's back as a distraction"

The professors, Dumbledore, Karkaroff, Maxime, Mr. Crouch, and Rita Skeeter were sitting in stands across from the students, their seats draped in gold. She could see Skeeter holding a notepad and green quill in her hands, ready to write her next article. Bagman hurried up to the stands and in a booming voice, he told the crowd about the task. Draco looked gleeful at the thought of Harry fighting a dragon. Each champion had to get past their dragon and collect a golden egg that was in the nest of normal dragon eggs. The Slytherins all made bets on Viktor getting first place. Fred took ten galleons from Theodore.

"I hope Cedric doesn't get hurt" said Cho, standing in the row behind Aria with her friends.

"I bet he gets first place" asked Marietta Edgecombe.

"Ooh, I hope so. He said we could go down to Hogsmeade after the task. That's why I'm wearing this. I'm going to try to get him to Madam Puddifoot's"

"Well how could he say no in a dress like that?"

Aria scoffed, hearing Cho and her friends giggle. "She'll probably hypnotize him with her magical breasts" she whispered, sarcastically.

Ben burst into a fit of laughter, covering it up with a cough when the Ravenclaw girls shot him dirty looks. They had assumed that he was laughing at them.

"Magical what?" he asked, quietly.

"Well it's not her personality that's getting her all those guys"

"Aw, is my little wolf jealous?"

"Is that a joke? I would never be jealous of Cho Chang"

"Only if she was dating 'Pretty Boy' Diggory. If you want to make him jealous, we could go there too"

"Even if I wanted to do that, which I don't, he wouldn't know that it's really me, would he?" she asked, trying to not sound bitter.

Ben looked sympathetic. Fred shouted her name, making her jump. She turned towards him.

"Bloody hell, mate. I was saying your name for the past two minutes"

"He was too distracted by his Beauxbatons boytoy. Sorry to interrupt your conversation, lovebirds" said Draco, mockingly.

"Aaron's a much better sight than your pug, Malfoy" retorted Ben.

Pansy scrunched her nose, accentuating her pug-like features. She nudged Draco's side, waiting for him to defend her. It led to an argument between the two Slytherins. She was angry that Draco let Ben insult her.

"Well while those two have a lover's quarrel, would you like to place a bet?"

"Yea. 50 galleons on Harry getting first place"

"Are you mental?" asked Graham, surprised.

"Nope, just confident"

Aria handed the money to Fred. He and George continued down to the end of the row, collecting any last bets. A blueish-gray dragon called a Swedish-Short Snout had been led into the enclosure by dragon tamers, including Ron's brother Charlie. Once it rested over the nest, the tamers left and a loud whistle sounded throughout the stands. Bagman was providing commentary for the task, detailing each moment. He explained that after each champion collected their egg, they would receive scores from the judges. Cedric entered the enclosure, looking extremely nervous. Pointing his wand at a rock, he transfigured it into a dog. With the dragon distracted, Cedric hurried towards the nest. Halfway across the enclosure, the dragon focused its attention on him and he dodged a large flame. He got burnt badly across his face but still retrieved the egg. Aria's cheers were drowned out by the loud excited screams of the Ravenclaw girls behind her. Fleur was next to face her dragon, a Welsh Green. She did not do anything impressive. Her attempt at a sleeping charm was not very helpful. During Krum's turn, he stunned it right in the eye, which was effective but the dragon smushed half of the real eggs, losing him some points.

The final dragon to be led into the enclosure was a Hungarian Horntail. Out of the four dragons, it looked the most dangerous and aggressive. She hoped that Harry could cast the summoning charm. He entered the enclosure, trembling. The Horntail was crouched low over the nest, its spiky tail slamming onto the ground. Wasting no time, it sent streams of fire at Harry. He was hiding behind an enormous boulder. To give him time, Aria conjured rocks in her hand, chucking one at the Horntail's head. She continued to throw rocks. The Horntail turned its head towards her.

"Aaron, stop it" squeaked Tracey, hiding behind Goyle.

"Yea, it was me, ugly. What are you going to do?"

She picked up another rock. Ben stopped her from throwing it. McGonagall shouted at her across the enclosure.

"Mister Shaw, sit down this instant! Do not make me come over there!"

Ben pushed down on her shoulder, forcing her to sit in her seat. She looked at Harry, who was still hiding.

"Thanks" he mouthed.

He cast the summoning charm and his Firebolt zoomed into the enclosure. As he distracted the dragon by flying, Ben pinched her arm.

"Ow!"

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"I told you I would distract it"

"I thought you were kidding. You could've gotten eaten by that thing"

"I needed to buy Harry some time and I did. That dragon was a wuss. It was too scared to come near me"

"You are something else" he whispered, staring at her in disbelief.

Aria cheered excitedly when Harry snatched the golden egg. Her cheers got louder when Bagman mentioned that he was the fastest champion to complete the task. She hurried out of the stands to congratulate him. The champions were getting healed in the medical tent. Harry was outside the tent with Hermione and Ron. Hermione hugged them both, crying.

"Considering the group hug, I guess you two made up"

"Yeah, we're friends" said Harry, grinning at Ron.

Wiping her eyes, Hermione looked at Aria. She hugged Aria tightly, letting out a small laugh.

"Do you ever think before you do something so stupid?"

"Thinking's overrated. Let's go see Harry's score"

As they headed back to the enclosure, she was distracted by an argument between Draco and Ben. Some of the Slytherins stood behind Draco. They were in each other's faces, looking very angry. Aria walked towards them, hearing bits of their conversation.

"You're a smarmy little git. Just as cowardly as your father"

Draco's fists clenched. "Don't say a word against my father"

"What, can't handle the truth? You don't scare me, Malfoy"

"At least I'm not a freak like you. No one knows about you, do they?"

Aria's eyes widened slightly. She rushed over to them. Draco did not know about Ben's shifter abilities but one of the Slytherins could figure it out, especially Graham.

"I should tell everyone what I saw. How your"

"Hey, leave him alone"

"Come to defend your boyfriend, Aaron? What are you going to do?"

Aria socked him across the face, knocking him to the ground. Draco was unconscious, his nose bleeding. That one punch gave her a lot of satisfaction.

"Aaron, what did you do?!" said Pansy, scared.

"Shut him up. He asked for it"

Aria grabbed ahold of Ben's arm, leading him towards the castle…

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I really appreciate all of the reviews. :)**


	29. Memories

Despite getting knocked out by a single punch, Draco did not learn his lesson. Aria's unwillingness to be afraid of him or suck up to him like every other Slytherin only seemed to fuel his anger towards her. His insults became much more vicious and personal. Ben was no longer restraining her from a fight because he and Draco, within one day, had become rivals. The Slytherins were surprised by how fast they had begun hating each other. Interfering with their constant arguments became pointless due to the fact that both guys could be extremely stubborn and hotheaded. The rivalry between them made the dislike between Harry and Draco look like a childish argument on the playground. Ben, being older, knew more advanced spells and could easily beat Draco in a duel. It did not take much to make Draco back down since just seeing Ben's eyes change color unnerved him. Draco would badger Aria during classes, attempting to find out the truth about Ben.

Aria had her problems to deal with besides keeping Ben from snapping Draco like a twig. On the day of the first task, after returning Ben to the castle and calming him down, she was cornered by Snape. She was forced to endure an hour long lecture about her reckless actions with the dragon. Feigning innocence did not work its usual charm on the strict professor. Snape gave her two weeks of detention. He ignored the fact that she was a Slytherin, insisting that she needed to get some sense knocked into her. Aria knew that he was expecting her to show remorse for her behavior but she saw nothing wrong with protecting Harry. She showed complete loyalty to her friends, even if it put her in danger.

Aria was sitting on the floor of the Potions classroom, scrubbing cauldrons with a toothbrush. Though Snape told her to do the work by hand, she used magic to cut her workload in half. Rags and brushes were enchanted to wash the cauldrons. She aggressively brushed a spot on the cauldron in her lap. No matter how hard she scrubbed, the spot did not disappear.

"Having fun?"

Glancing up, she saw Harry and Ron in the doorway. She put the cauldron down on the floor.

"Oh yea, this is the most fun I've had in years" she said, sarcastically.

They entered the classroom. Harry picked up a cage with a couple jobberknolls inside. Snape had bought them from a shop in Hogsmeade, wanting to use the feathers for memory potions.

"Your own fault for picking a fight with a dragon, mate. How much longer do you have detention?"

"Another week. I tried to get out of it but Snape wouldn't budge"

"Could be worse. Harry and I had to pickle rat brains" replied Ron, disgusted.

"Ow!"

Harry put down the cage and shook his hand. There were a deep cut across his palm. One of the jobberknolls had bitten him when he pet its head. It was now clicking its beak furiously, raising its wings above its head. Aria walked over to the cage. She fed the jobberknoll a treat to keep it relaxed.

"Nice one, genius. Jobberknolls don't like to be touched"

"Could've told me"

"If you actually read a book that wasn't about quidditch, you'd know"

"That reminds me. We saw Malfoy in the library when we were looking for Hermione. He was alone in the creatures section"

"I'm surprised he could find his way there. I didn't think he knew what a library was, to be honest"

Aria was sure that Draco was in the library to search for information related to Ben. She doubted that he would learn about shifters. Even if he found a book titled _Shifters: Their Eyes Turn Golden, _Draco would be too dimwitted to make the connection. She had been around him enough to know that he lacked both book smarts and common sense. A monkey could figure out the truth about Ben before him.

"He's probably just looking for ways to get me back for that skrewt prank. I can fix that cut, Harry"

Her wand was hidden among the stack of cauldrons on the floor. She bit into her finger, drawing blood. Rubbing the blood on his cut, she watched his wound heal in a matter of seconds. Ron and Harry stared at the mended hand, amazed.

"How did you do that?" asked Ron.

"Ben taught me it a few nights ago. Shifters are quick healers and our blood can fix cuts instantly. He said it's even better than a healing charm. It's really addicting though so shifters don't like giving it out too often"

"That's wicked"

"I did not realize my classroom was being used for a party"

Snape entered the classroom, his dark eyes on the two Gryffindors. His lip curled the slightest bit at the sight of Harry.

"We were just um—we stopped by to talk to Aaron"

"Potter, if you and your sidekick Weasley wanted a detention, I can certainly arrange it. I am sure that you have broken at least fifty school rules in the past hour alone"

"No, that's okay. We'll just…go. See you later, Aaron"

They hurried out of the classroom. Noticing a cauldron being washed by itself, Snape raised an eyebrow at her. She pretended to be shocked.

"How did—I bet this was Peeves, sir. He must be possessing the cauldron. You told me to clean those cauldrons by hand and I listened"

"We both know by now that you don't care much for rules, Shaw"

Flicking his wands, he placed the cauldrons back in a cabinet. He told her that she would return to the classroom tonight and clean them again by hand. A spell cast on the cauldrons would ensure that she did not use magic to speed up her work. They began to work on brewing various potions, including a special memory potion. By adding a person's hair, the potion allowed anyone who ingested it to see some of that person's memories. She distracted one of the jobberknolls in order to grab feathers from its back. Once she placed ten feathers into the cauldron, she stirred the cauldron in a clockwise direction.

"Remember that it's only five stirs then four stirs counterclockwise"

"The book says two, sir"

"And I say four"

Snape had a habit of going against the book's instructions when brewing potions. They were using a very old book that had notes written in the margins. Sometimes, she had to be careful with the book because its pages were barely held together. She followed Snape's instructions, doing four counterclockwise stirs. The potion's color changed from dark blue to pale silver. It reminded her of the liquid contained in a pensieve. He peered down into the cauldron.

"Excellent work. I had my 7th year students prepare the same potion yesterday and only two of them brewed a passable potion"

"Is it good enough to get me out of detention?" she asked, hopefully.

"No. You need some sense knocked into you, Shaw"

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Snape flicked his wand. She silently groaned, seeing Draco. Holding a stack of papers, he walked into the room. He handed the papers to Snape, telling him that he had gotten them from Dumbledore. While Snape went over to his desk, Draco watched Aria pour the potion into a large flask.

"I know what your Beauxbatons friend is, Collins. He's a werewolf"

She suppressed a smile. "Really? Well, that's weird. You've seen him on nights where there's a full moon and he never looks sick during the week leading up to it like Lupin used to last year. Nice try, Malfoy"

"You know what he is so tell me"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, ferret. Ben's just a wizard like you"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"I've thought that since I first laid eyes on you. I shouldn't be surprised, considering who your father is…"

Snape returned to the table. Draco asked him about the memory potion. As Snape explained its effects, she could see a smirk slowly forming on the blonde ferret's face. Snape suggested that it should be tested to ensure it was brewed properly.

"Aaron and I can test it, sir"

"Go jump off a cliff" she mouthed, her nails digging into the wooden table.

Snape poured the memory potion into two small vials. He had each of them place a strand of their hair in one vial then gave them the vial with the other person's hair. The hairs had dissolved in the potion. Aria did not want to drink something with Malfoy germs. With a grimace, she tilted the vial into her mouth…

~Draco~

Draco watched Aria drink the memory potion that contained his hair. After learning about its effects, he purposely volunteered to test it. He was sure that she knew what was wrong with that Beauxbatons idiot. Ben was clearly not just a normal wizard. Draco had become so obsessed with learning the truth that he asked Theodore how to get to the school library. It was filled with tons of books but none of them were useful. He thought that Ben could be a werewolf but Aria poked holes in his theory. Besides getting information on Ben, he thought the potion would provide the perfect ammunition against Aria herself. There were probably some memories in her head of her like a little street rat, eating food from garbage.

Aria put the vial down on the table with a dazed expression on her face. Snape conjured a chair and helped her to sit down.

"Is that supposed to happen?"

"Yes. It wears off once the memories stop. The effects will mirror being inside of a pensieve. You'll feel as if you are part of the memories"

"Can you control what you see?"

"No, the memories are chosen by chance. Drink up" he said, conjuring a second chair.

Draco sat in the chair and drank the contents of the vial. His vision became blurry. He could feel his surroundings change as the potions classroom faded in front of him.

_Draco found himself in a small two-story house. It was completely disheveled with destroyed furniture, torn-up floorboards, holes in the walls, and broken items all over the floor. He smirked, thinking that this was one of the places Aria lived before coming to Hogwarts. If it was possible, he would be taking pictures to show his friends that "Aaron" was not Mr. Perfect. His smirk faltered, seeing a woman on the floor. She appeared to be in her late 20s and looked like an older version of Aria. He was haunted by her lifeless eyes that stared up at the woman had to be Aria's mother. After discovering that Aria was posing as Aaron, he asked his mother about the Collins family, pretending to be doing a family tree on ancient pureblood families for a history assignment. He had learned that her mother was the real Clare Knight, which explained why his father had been so spooked at the masquerade ball when Draco said that name. _

_He realized that this was a memory about her mother's death. All of the newspapers claimed that she had committed suicide yet there were no signs of an injury or blood. From writing essays on unforgivable curses for DADA, he knew what a victim of the killing curse looked like and Aria's mother matched the description. One of the windows slid open and a small figure jumped through, landing on the floor. His eyes widened, seeing an eight year old Aria. Her hair was cut extremely short and choppy as though done by her own hand. Based on her baggy clothing and short hair, she already started masquerading as a boy. She ran over to her mother and got down on her knees. Draco did not move from his spot next to her mother, watching her touch the lifeless body. _

_"Mommy, please wake up. You can stop pretending"_

_Aria shook her harder, getting more desperate. "You can't be dead. Remember the story you told me…about Harry Potter. He survived the killing curse and he was only a baby. You can do it too. Just please wake up. I don't have anybody. I don't know what to do. I—I'm all alone. I need you" _

_As she spoke, her voice cracked. Aria began to sob, tears streaming down her face. Draco looked away, unable to watch the scene in front of him. _

_"Please come back. Daddy's not here. I can't lose you too" _

_He heard a loud crashing sound. Aria wiped her eyes and left through the open window. She stayed outside the house, her head barely visible above the around, Draco saw his father, Macnair, and Mr. Parkinson enter the living room. _

_"You can't be breaking things, Walden. The aurors need to think there was no break-in" chastised his father._

_"I can fix a broken glass. We have more pressing matters. They're going to wonder about the child" _

_"We'll find her. She's an eight year old. How far could she go?" _

_"She had a wand on her. It was hidden in her pocket" _

_His father scoffed. He did not seem worried about Aria using magic. Being only eight years old, the Ministry would know if she so much as levitated a piece of fruit. He suggested that they could use that to their advantage and was confident that they would find her by the end of the week. _

_"I spoke to Elyse. She's going to be on the lookout for the girl. I'm sure she'll go to her, thinking Elyse is on her side" said Mr. Parkinson, repairing a broken vase. _

_The three men discussed what to do about her mother's body. Mr. Parkinson stressed that they needed to be careful because Mad-Eye Moody would know if anything looked suspicious in the house. They agreed to move her to her bedroom and use her own wand to create cuts on her wrist and throat to imitiate a suicide. Draco's father urged them to be quick since Aria could have gone to the Ministry to report her mother's death. As Mr. Parkinson and Macnair walked around the house, repairing any damage, his father bent down to the body. His hand brushed against her cheek. _

_"Even in death, you're stunning, Clare. It does look good on you. It's a pity it had to come this but if you had listened from the beginning, we would not be in this situation. Your pure heart was your downfall. You believe that people like Elyse can change, that they all have good in them. I can only imagine how Aaron will handle the news" _

_Draco did not hear any remorse in his father's voice. It made him uncomfortable. When Aria told him about his father's involvement in her mother's death, he refused to believe her. He knew that his father practiced some dark magic but did not think he was capable of murder. His father chuckled softly._

_"I suppose he may break out of Azkaban to kill me. He'll know that this was my doing. You put your trust in the wrong people, even as a little girl…when you befriended that fool Sirius Black. When I find your daughter and I assure you that I will, I promise you that I will turn her heart black as coal. I'll darken her precious soul and you can watch as she stands by the Dark Lord's side, doing his bidding. Perhaps that thought alone will be the thing that finally destroys Aaron's spirit and he will join you in death"_

_Aria was gripping the window ledge, her eyes on him. The house began to fade. Draco could barely focus as the scenery changed rapidly in front of him. He could see images like Aria stealing food and living in one room apartments. When the images stopped, he found himself in a forest. Aria was standing in front of him, looking about ten years old. Her hair had grown out a bit but she still maintained the boyish appearance. Sebastien entered the clearing with a young unicorn. _

_"Ready for your lessons today? Did you practice?" _

_She nodded. "I figured out that patronus charm last night"_

_"After just one lesson? I doubt that" _

_"Is that a challenge?" _

_Aria flicked her wand, casting the patronus charm. Her full-bodied tiger patronus emerged from the wand tip and stood in front of her. He chuckled, ruffling her hair. She made the patronus vanish with another flick of her wand. _

_"Very impressive, my little protégé. Patronuses are useful but I doubt you'll run into many 's time for real defense lessons" _

_"We've been doing that the whole time. I almost beat you in that duel yesterday and before you say that you went easy, we both know that's a lie" _

_Petting the unicorn, she asked where he went late last night. He claimed to be visiting some old friends to discuss a potions trade. Knowing about his stint in Dark Haven, Draco could see through his terrible lie. _

_"You've learned some advanced magic but it won't be enough if you see those old death eaters. They're vicious and show no mercy, even to a child. Can you tell me about the unforgivable curses?" _

_"The imperius curse, cruciatus curse, and the…killing curse" she replied, staring at the ground when she mentioned the third curse. _

_"Very good. Do you know how they're performed? Did you read the spells in my book?" _

_"Yes. It takes a lot of concentration and you need to mean it" _

_"Yes. Intent is most important. I want you to perform the imperius curse on this unicorn, Aria" _

_Draco thought that he had heard him wrong. Sebastien was mental to ask her to perform any unforgivable curse. Aria looked nervous._

_"That's dark magic. I know you practice it sometimes and I promised not to tell anyone but I don't want to use it. Can't you teach me more hexes?" _

_He tilted her chin up towards him. "Aria, you need to grow up. This is the reality…the world is split into wolves and sheep. The sheep are the wizards who get stepped on and pushed around for being weak. The wolves can defend themselves. A wolf is not afraid of anything. They will do whatever it takes to ensure their survival and they can stand on their own. If you're weak, those men will find you and you'll never know freedom again. You'll be their puppet. Do you want that?" _

_"N—no" _

_"Then do what I say. These lessons will ensure that you are never down on your knees for anyone. I have been in that position before and it will never happen again"_

_Draco remembered how Sebastien said he had kept Aria safe from harm. He assumed that he was the reason that Aria had advanced magical abilities for her age. Aria pointed her wand at the unicorn. After a few attempts, she was able to cast the imperius curse and made it jump in the air. Sebastien instructed her to try the cruciatus curse. When she showed reluctance again, he whispered in her ear. Draco could hear every word. Sebastien made her think about the men who killed her mother and how much she wanted to make them suffer for ruining her life. Her fists clenched in anger and she cast the curse. While she watched the unicorn twinge in pain, Draco looked at Sebastien. He was resting his hand on her shoulder, his eyes glinting with malice. His surroundings changed again as trees vanished one by one. _

He opened his eyes, seeing the Potions classroom. Aria was already awake, talking to Snape.

"Do you feel all right?" asked Snape.

Draco nodded silently. He avoided any eye contact with Aria. Those memories were still fresh in his mind.

"Don't offer him any vegetables, sir. He'll strip naked and run through a crowd of people. Isn't that right, itty bitty Drakie?" she joked.

Draco blushed, not wanting to think of what memories she could have seen from the potion. Snape mentioned that his father sent a note through the fireplace in the Snape's office, reminding Draco of their meeting at the Ministry. Draco had weekly meetings with his father to discuss his school work and his relationship with Pansy. Taking the note, he went into Snape's office and grabbed a handful of floo powder. He used the fireplace to get to the Ministry, landing in the Atrium. As he took the lift to the top floor, he could barely think without remembering what he had seen about Aria's past. He smacked the side of his head.

"Get over it. It doesn't matter. She's still insane…trying to kill my father and ruining my life" he muttered.

Even as he said those words, he did not believe them. All this time, he had been willing to accept that Aria was a psychotic girl, who became delusional after her mother's suicide. Seeing her memories firsthand changed his perspective. His father was clearly at fault for her mother's death and Aria's current situation. She was so afraid of being found by those men that she had to pretend to be a guy, put her trust in a dark wizard, and faked her own death.

The door to his father's office was slightly open and he could hear three voices. Peeking through the small opening, he saw his father with Mr. Montague and a guy in his early 20s. He had unkempt jet black hair that stopped a bit above his shoulders and very pale blue eyes. Four scars ran across his face, resembling scratches from some kind of animal. His disheveled appearance, including his dirty fingernails, made him look like a criminal. He was not the usual type of person in his father's company. Draco thought that the guy looked very familiar. His eyes were filled with desperation.

"You made a very serious deal" said Mr. Montague, glancing at a photo of Draco and his parents at one of their summer homes.

"I'll hold up my end. I'm working on it. I told you that she is alive. Summoning spells don't lie"

"And yet when I tried, nothing happened"

"It must have been Dumbledore, Grant. There are ways to prevent it from working. When I tried it, I got a reaction. She would've come to me if she didn't fight it"

Draco pressed his ear tightly against the door. "Just promise to hold up your end too. You said if I brought your niece to you, you would get the Ministry to give me a clean slate and keep me out of Azkaban"

"And we will…provided we get what we want"

"Yea well, you would have. I didn't think the little bitch would be so strong already. I tried to get her at the school and she took a chunk out of my leg"

Lifting up his pants leg, he showed a grotesque scar across his thigh. Mr. Montague explained that the Collins had the strongest bloodline of their kind, something he should have learned from his grandfather. Draco's father noticed him eavesdropping on the conversation. He jumped away from the door, hoping that he would not get in trouble.

"I'm sorry, father. I didn't mean to" he started, struggling to explain himself.

"It's quite all right, Draco. We were just finishing up. Come in"

He entered his father's office. The dark-haired stranger's desperate expression had been replaced with suspicion. His pale blue eyes passed over Draco and for a second, Draco thought he growled.

"This is a son of an old friend, Riven. He's in a bit of a tight spot and Grant and I were working out ways to help him. Riven, this is my son, Draco"

Riven gave him a curt nod. Draco did not say anything. He was thinking about the Hogwarts file Aria found on him last year.

"I'll escort you out, Riven. Follow me" said Mr. Montague.

Draco moved aside, letting Riven and Mr. Montague leave the office. A spell hit the door, causing it to shut.

"What's he in trouble for, father?"

"You know how boys can be at that age. He's reckless. Sit"

Draco sat in the chair in front of his father's desk, unable to shake the feeling that Riven looked familiar. He did not pay attention as his father spoke to him...

~Aria~

Aria was sitting at a booth in the Three Broomsticks. Ben had convinced her to sneak down to the village at night. She waited for him to return with their food and drinks. It was more crowded than usual so there were not enough waitresses to serve all of the tables and some people had to order at the bar. She absentmindedly twirled her necklace between her fingers. Draco walked over to the booth. His presence alone ruined her night.

"Collins, can I talk to you?"

"Piss off"

"Very classy"

"You have no class, Malfoy"

He insisted that he had to talk to her about something important. She ignored him, wanting him to just leave.

"Listen to me. It's about"

"What's going on?"

Ben returned to the booth, holding a tray of butterbeers and chips. He put the tray down on the table and shoved Draco against the wall. Aria stood up, telling Ben not to fight in a public place.

"Are you bothering her? Didn't we have a little conversation where I told you that if you kept messing with her, I'd rip off both your arms?"

"I can talk to whoever I want. Collins, since you're too stubborn to listen to me, I'll just say it. I saw Riven"

Aria looked at him, shocked. "What? That's not funny, Malfoy"

"It's not a joke. He was talking to"

"Just leave" interrupted Ben.

"Ben, wait"

"He's just baiting you, Aria. It's probably some trap so that he can expose who you reeally are. I bet he wanted his father to see"

"It's not a tr"

Ben grabbed Draco by his shirt collar. He threatened that if Draco did not stay away from Aria, he would not live to see tomorrow. Draco turned towards her.

"I'm not lying, Collins. I know what I saw"

Ben continued to glare at him as he left the pub. Aria crossed her arms over her chest.

"What? Don't tell me you believe him"

"Ben, he sounded serious. I'm going to go talk to him"

"Aria, he's a Malfoy. All they do is lie. He's tricking you"

"Well I'll see what he has to say then I'll decide for myself"

"I'll go with"

"No. I can handle him. I promise I'll be right back"

She walked out of the pub to find Draco. Snow was falling heavily, making it hard to see anything in the village. As she passed Honeyduke's, she was grabbed forcefully by the arm and pulled into the alley. She saw Orion in front of her. He held her so tightly that she felt bruises forming under his fingers.

"Told you I could find you anytime I wanted"

"I'm not dueling you now. I have more important things to deal with than losers who bully teenagers"

He chuckled. "I don't need you to put up a fight. I'll gladly beat you into a bloody mess"

A stinging hex struck the side of his face. He let go of her, rubbing his cheek. Draco entered the alley, holding his wand. He told Orion to leave before he called the aurors.

"That's adorable. You're sticking up for your friend. I wasn't planning on beating up two little Slytherins but why should I pass up such an opportunity?"

Orion shoved Aria to the ground. He and Draco dueled, using dark hexes. Aria had taught him good dueling techniques but Draco was no match for his older cousin. Orion made a slashing movement with his wand. A jet of golden light hit Draco. At first, nothing happened.

"Is that the best you've got?"

"Just wait for the surprise"

Draco laughed, thinking it was a bluff. Aria's eyes widened, seeing blood seep from his nose and mouth. Gashes formed all over his body. He crumpled to the ground.

"I learned that little trick from your father. I guess you're not good enough to learn it yet"

Aria grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back. He cried out in pain as the bone snapped. She slammed his head into the brick wall, knocking him unconscious. One of the shopkeepers noticed Draco and yelled to Aria that he would use the floo network to call the aurors. She got down on her knees beside him. Thinking on the spot, she bit into her wrist.

"Drink it"

"You really are bloody insane, Collins. I'm not a vampire"

"Shut up and drink it!"

Draco looked very hesitant despite his wounds getting worse. Annoyed, she grabbed the back of his head and forced his mouth against her wrist. He sucked up the blood. Slowly, his wounds started to heal. Ben was running down the path.

"Aria, what the hell are you doing?!"

"His cousin came here. We got into a bad fight over the summer and he wanted to duel me. Malfoy interfered and his cousin hit him with a really bad curse. Someone is getting Dumbledore but by the time he shows up, the blonde idiot here would be dead"

"Because that would be so terrible" she heard him mutter under his breath.

"You could at least help me. Do some healing charms now that his cuts aren't as bad"

Aria got distracted by Draco holding her wrist. Ben forcefully separated them. She was confused by his sudden anger. Before Draco could ask any questions, Ben cast a memory charm on him. Aria assumed he wanted Draco to forget about drinking Aria's blood to heal his wounds. Dumbledore and McGonagall were heading into the village.

"I'll distract them. I'll make up some story to explain why he's all better. Wipe your mouth, ferret"

Draco wiped the blood from his mouth. McGonagall glanced over at them, concerned. Ben was talking to Dumbledore, pointing towards the unconscious Orion.

"Why did you help me?" asked Draco, panting.

"I'm not heartless, Malfoy. You're an insanely annoying git but deep down…way deep down, you're not terrible. My problems are with your father, not you"

"I saw you…with your mother. It was when I drank the potion. I didn't know that"

"I don't care about a potion. I don't care if you saw me surviving on cupcakes. I want to know about Riven. You saw him"

"I saw him today"

"With who? He's working with someone?"

He shrugged. "I can't remember. It's blurry. I can't even remember what he looks like but he reminded me of someone"

McGonagall rushed over to them. She helped Draco up from the ground. He argued with her about going to the hospital wing. Aria followed them, stopping as she neared Ben and Dumbledore.

"It is a good thing you were here, Mister Shaw. Mister Malfoy would have been seriously injured if not for your quick thinking"

"Thanks, sir"

"I think it is time for you to return to the castle. You've had an eventful night"

Dumbledore informed them that the aurors would arrive shortly to take Orion. She kept Ben back as Dumbledore walked towards the castle.

"Your memory charm was too strong. He can barely remember seeing Riven"

"I'm sorry, Aria. I panicked. I didn't want him to remember what you did"

"Now I'm at a dead-end again"

"Why do you care about finding him anyway? The summoning spell was one time"

"When that shifter attacked me here, I felt a pain in my chest. It was like feeling the summoning spell again. I told you that I think he's a shifter too. He clearly wanted me for something and from what Draco said, he wasn't working alone. Maybe Megan has some old pictures and they would jog Draco's memory"

Ben put his hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me, you're going crazy over nothing. No one is coming after you. Don't be so desperate that you believe Malfoy over me. You know that if I thought you were in danger, I would tell you, Aria"

Aria was unsure of what to believe at the moment. Before getting hit with the memory charm, Draco seemed very adamant that she needed to know about Riven. Ben had not been the one to feel the pull of that summoning spell. She smiled weakly, assuring him that she was done worrying about Riven…

* * *

**A/N: I just wanted to clarify that this story will lead into a Draco/OC pairing. I kind of compare the buildup of their relationship to Harry and Ginny. Even they had other romantic interests before they got together. Right now, they're not ready for anything romantic but later chapters will show the start of something. I thought it would be interesting to see Aria's past from Draco's perspective. It gave him insight into why Aria is so adamant about getting revenge against his father and shows him that his father ****_is _****a dark person. He did feel remorse for her based on what he saw from her past. In the earlier books, Draco was a huge jerk but then later on, you start to see that there's more to him. I want to achieve the same thing in this story. This chapter is the start of his redemption arc. Despite his resentment towards Aria, he was still willing to tell her about the conversation he overheard between Riven and his father and Aria healed Draco's injuries, risking her exposure as a shifter. Like I've said before, their relationship is going to be really complicated. I don't want them to hate each other one minute and then the next, they're all lovey-dovey. I think it's more realistic if it builds up to romantic feelings and you can see the changes in their relationship at each moment. **

**Here's a little tease of the next chapter, which includes the Yule Ball:**

_**He was now standing so close that she could see herself reflected in his eyes. She could smell the firewhiskey on his breath. Never in her life had she felt both so confused and anxious at the same time. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest at the thought that this might be her first kiss. **_

_**"Fine, I'll play along. Why do you supposedly like me?" **_

_**"You're very sexy" **_

_**Her stomach boiled with anger when she heard his shallow reason. She mentally cursed herself for thinking he was being genuine for once in his life. **_

_**"What else?" **_

_**He looked at her, strangely. "What other reason do I need?"**_

**Thanks for reading :)**


	30. The Yule Ball

For the next few days, Aria attempted to retrieve Draco's memories of Riven. Each charm she cast was unsuccessful and he was not being very helpful. Draco had stopped teasing her but now resorted to avoiding her. She did not understand what caused such a drastic change in his attitude. He barely made eye contact with her, purposely looking at anyone else but her. She was unsure if he was embarrassed that a girl saved him or if his personality change was a result of the memory potion. In all honesty, she did not know what memories he saw when he ingested the potion and Draco showed no signs of wanting to discuss it with her. Their childhoods could not have been more different. While he was living in his lavish manor, getting everything he wanted, she was hiding in messy apartments, struggling to make it to the next day. The memory potion undoubtedly affected him, making him less inclined to torment her.

Ben attempted to get her mind off of Riven. He reasoned that if Riven was a real threat, he would keep attacking her and not give up on snatching her from Hogwarts. Though she understood that perspective, she could not shake her memory of the summoning spell, how pain filled her entire body. She wanted to confront Riven in person. Now that she was stronger, she thought that she could take him on in a fight. She assured Ben that it would not be a repeat of their first encounter where Riven had the clear advantage. Whenever she brought up Riven, Ben became very uncomfortable, instantly changing the subject of their conversation. She questioned why he was so against the idea of her finding him and Ben would only tell her that he did not want to see her harmed or possibly killed.

Aria was sitting in the Transfigurations classroom, practicing cross-species switches. McGonagall taught them a spell to turn guinea fowl into guinea pigs. Being the first to master the spell, Aria received ten points for Slytherin. The other students in the classroom were not doing as well. Neville had somehow made his guinea fowl grow an extra beak and Goyle's had started to spit fire, leading to a ten minute break where McGonagall had to stop the fire-breathing bird from burning down half of the classroom. Aria was petting her guinea pig, resting her head on the desk. She watched Blaise beside her. His guinea pig still had wings and flew a couple inches above their heads.

"Aaron, fix it"

"McGonagall said I can't help you. She's catching on that I've been doing the spells for you lately"

"What am I supposed to do about this mutant rat?"

McGonagall had just helped Lavender keep her guinea fowl from biting her everytime she moved her wand towards it. As she passed their desk, she stopped, seeing the flying guinea pig.

"Mister Zabini, what have you done?"

"The spell"

She sighed and transfigured the guinea pig back into a guinea fowl. Giving him a short lecture about concentration when casting spells, she walked over to Hannah and Megan's desk. Blaise gave Aria a pleading look.

"Just do it for me"

"Why should I? I get nothing in return for saving your butt on a weekly basis"

"I'll help you jog Draco's memory"

"Blaise, you can barely cast a cheering charm without sending someone into a fit of laughter that could kill them. I don't think you should be anywhere near a person's mind"

"I can ask my mother's new boyfriend. He's the head of the Committee on Experimental Charms. He's an expert on charms and I bet he could tell us a way to reverse what Ben did"

"You better not be lying to me"

Aria waved her wand. A second guinea pig was now sitting on the desk. McGonagall praised Blaise for casting the spell perfectly though there was a hint of suspicion in her voice. She cut class short, ending it twenty minutes early. Once the guinea pigs, some partially transfigured, were placed in cages and everyone copied down the homework, an essay on cross-species switches, she got their attention. She chastised Harry and Ron for acting childish. They had been playing with Fred and George's toy wands, which had turned into a tin parrot and rubber haddock. McGonagall told the entire class about the upcoming Yule Ball. Aria had been excited for the Triwizard Tournament but dreaded the idea of this dance. Girls giggled excitedly as McGonagall explained the ball, which involved bringing a date. It would be happening on Christmas day and was only open for students in fourth year and above though a younger student could attend if asked by someone.

Aria stood up from her desk, already waiting for Daphne to ask her to be her date. She had been working on the perfect excuse to get out of attending the ball. As she picked up her bag, she was caught off guard by several girls staring at her. She slowly began to realize that they planned on asking her to the ball. It never dawned on her that other girls besides Daphne and Talia might show interest. She followed Blaise and Theodore out of the classroom, determined to not look any girl in the eye.

"Draco's got it the easiest. If he takes anyone other than Pansy, he'll get in trouble" whispered Blaise.

"Yea, but remember what he told us last night? He convinced his father that he could be trusted. Now his every move isn't being watched. Trust me, at some point, we'll find him flirting with another girl. Talia might want a second go since Aaron's not falling under her spell like most guys" said Theodore.

Theodore smirked at Aria. "Bet Daphne asks you before we even make it to the Great Hall. Are you going to say yes?"

Before she could answer him, someone moved beside her. She did not even need to take a second glance to know that it was Daphne.

"Doesn't the ball sound exciting, guys? Hogwarts never has dances. My mom said they had a Christmas one every year but it stopped after a bad fight broke out in her fifth year"

"Well, we won't have any fights this time. The seventh years are already planning to sneak in firewhiskey so we'll be too drunk to hit anyone" said Blaise.

Daphne grabbed Aria's arm. "Aaron, do you want to go with me? It doesn't have to be a date unless you want it to be"

"As fun as that sounds, I don't think I can go to the ball. My mom gets really busy over the holidays and she asked me to help out at her shop on Christmas"

"Aaron, can't she get someone else to help? You can't miss this dance. I really wanted—I mean, everyone would want you to be there"

"Sorry. I already promised her and I don't back out of a promise"

Pouting, she made Aria promise her a dance if she returned before the Yule Ball ended. Aria agreed, knowing that she would be nowhere near the castle that night. While the Slytherins entered the Great Hall, where everyone was discussing the ball, she spotted Ben waiting near a lion statue and walked over to him.

"I see you've already been asked to the ball. Did you say yes?"

She stifled a laugh. "You know I didn't. I lied about having to be somewhere that night. I'm sure Daphne will find a date"

"I know the feeling. Sophie asked me this morning. I had to reject her because I already had a date"

"With who?"

"You"

Her eyes widened. She thought that she heard him wrong.

"You turned her down so you could go with a guy?" '

He pushed her shoulder. "No, you're going as yourself. The real Aria is my date"

Aria immediately refused to go to the ball with him. She had once told him how she resembled her mother as a teenager. If she attended the Yule Ball, she would risk exposing her identity. Graham might not be able to recognize her, having last seen her as a little girl, but the professors were a different story. Her mother attended Hogwarts. She doubted that the professors, especially Dumbledore, would not see the striking resemblance. It was different from the masquerade ball where she had worn a mask to hide her face. Ben assured her that no one would make the connection since everyone would be too busy dancing and having fun.

"Girls like dances and you're a girl"

"I really don't need to go. What's so special about a lame dance?"

"Because I know that despite what you say, you want to go to the ball. Would it be so bad if for one night, you dropped the disguise and could be a normal girl?"

After ten long minutes, where Ben made puppy dog eyes at her and pleaded in a childish voice, she groaned, giving into his request. She could not deny that it would be fun to be herself, even for just a few hours. Ben smiled, pleased that she agreed to go with him.

"So I know you hate talking about it, but I might find a way to reverse that memory charm. Blaise said"

"Aria, please don't start. Let's talk about the ball. I could help you find a dress"

"I don't care about dresses, Ben. Why are you so against me finding out more about Riven?"

"Because you're so damn stubborn, Aria. You think that there's no chance of you losing a fight against him. I know you've gotten stronger but this guy is several years older than you and a lot more experienced with magic and his shifter abilities, if he is one. I'm sorry that I care about you and I don't want to find you with your body snapped in half!"

Aria tried not to look surprised when Ben said that he cared about her. Six years of being alone made it hard for her to trust anyone. Without her mother, she had no one to care about her well-being. Sirius and Lupin were there for her but mostly through letters. She promised him that she would stop looking for Riven.

The next two weeks were utter chaos in the castle. Aria had to endure more than a dozen girls asking her to be their date. While most girls accepted her excuse, others like Talia were much more persistent. Talia continued to ask her twice per day, telling Aria that any guy would choose her over a potions shop. She would attempt to get Aria's interest by loudly describing her dress for the ball, which was apparently very revealing, during meals. The weekend before the ball, Aria snuck down to a boutique in Hogsmeade. After she tried on at least twenty dresses, she found the perfect one. It was a floor-length light aquamarine dress with a cinched waist and ruffles that started at her hips. The bodice had a crystal floral design. She liked that it accentuated her curves but was not too revealing. The dress reminded her of one that her mother wore to a dance in her fifth year.

She was preoccupied with looking perfect for the ball. Ben could have asked any girl but for some reason, he wanted to take her. She was anxious that if she looked terrible, he would regret bringing her and ditch her for one of the Beauxbatons girls. While she worried about just acting like a normal girl, everyone else was concerned with finding a date. Ron and Harry had no clue how to ask out a girl. Harry had the biggest problem because the champions opened the ball by dancing with their partners. As usual, Ron lacked any tact and asked Hermione, thinking she had no date. It turned out that she was already going with someone but she kept his identity a secret. He suffered another rejection when he foolishly asked Fleur Delacour though he shouted the question to her then hid like a frightened child. Harry experienced even worse luck, hoping to bring Cho but Cedric had gotten to her first. Eventually, Aria felt bad and helped set them up with the Patil twins.

Aria was sitting on her bed, pretending to read a quidditch magazine. She waited for the guys to leave the room. They did not show much enthusiasm about the ball. To no one's surprise, Crabbe and Goyle did not have dates. She half expected them to just take each other. Blaise and Theodore had convinced Daphne and Tracey to go with them. Draco already left the room hours before them, taking Pansy to a romantic dinner. Theodore joked that he had taken her to get on Pansy's good side so he could sneak around with girls later in the night. Checking his appearance in a full-length mirror that he conjured, Blaise scowled.

"Are you sure I can't go with you to the potions shop, Aaron? Your mother wouldn't turn down more help"

"I'm sure Daphne will be a fun date"

"She only said yes because you can't go. Trust me, she'll keep whining about you"

Around seven, they left the room. They were helping some older students bring firewhiskey into the castle. Adrian planned for the bottles to be hidden in under the tables. Aria conjured her dress on her bed. She stood in front of the mirror, putting on pale blue eyeshadow and black eyeliner and swiping on lip gloss. Using her wand, she messed around with different hairstyles, settling on wavy with loose ringlet curls towards the bottom of her hair. She repeatedly checked her appearance, stressing over the tiniest details. At the moment, she would prefer battling a dragon to attending this ball. She created a portal that brought her outside the castle. Seeing everyone inside seemed to raise her panic level from one to a million. She hid by the archway, peeking her head into the Entrance Hall to find Ben. The Beauxbatons students had not entered the castle yet.

"Hey gorgeous" she heard, making her jump.

She turned around to see Adrian. Guys were taking more than second glances at her. Some of them, even Cedric, blatantly ignored their dates while others were bold enough to ditch them completely and made a beeline towards Aria. She felt a bit rattled from all of the attention. Her cheeks reddened, hearing people whisper about her. Everyone was trying to figure out where she had come from, knowing she was not from Hogwarts.

"Where did you come from? I would definitely remember if you went to Hogwarts"

"Yea, I don't go here. I'm"

"She's definitely part veela. You must be from Beauxbatons" said Ernie, smiling.

"All right, back off, you sorry vultures. She's already got a date"

She sighed with relief when Ben pushed through the crowd. The guys returned to their dates, looking envious.

"Thanks. I didn't know what to do. I panicked a little"

Ben was silent, simply staring at her. "What's wrong? Do I look stupid?"

"You look beautiful"

Her cheeks reddened when he kissed her hand. He slipped his arm around her waist.

"I think I need to protect you. Some of these girls look ready to scratch out your eyes"

"I didn't even do anything"

"You distracted their dates"

"It wasn't my fault. I was barely in the castle and they just—stop laughing"

"Well if you make it out of here in one piece, remind me to give you your Christmas present later"

Aria waited for the doors to the Great Hall to open and glanced around the Entrance Hall. Harry and Parvati were standing with the other champions and their dates. She was shocked to see Hermione next to Viktor Krum. When she thought of who would ask Hermione to the ball, she did not even consider him. The Slytherins stood at the other end of the hall. Pansy clung to Draco's arm, wearing a frilly pink dress. He was wearing a fake smile as he spoke to her. Once the doors opened, Ben led her inside. With each step, she felt ready to puke. The house tables were replaced with hundreds of small, lantern-lit tables and the walls had been covered in sparkling silver forest with garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry ceiling. Aria and Ben sat at a table with other Beauxbatons students. He had come up with a cover story, calling her a friend from home. As the champions entered the Hall, everyone clapped and Ron was watching Hermione with narrowed eyes.

The champions walked towards a table at the front of the Great Hall with the professors, Dumbledore, Karkaroff, Maxime, Bagman, and Percy. She wondered why Percy would attend instead of Crouch. Menus had been placed at each table. Dumbledore said one of the items aloud and it appeared on his plate. Following his example, Aria asked for pork chops. The girls at their table did not treat her poorly. They complimented her dress and involved her in their conversations. It was the first time that she experienced "girl talk". She told them a story from her childhood about her first time attempting magic. It involved causing her mother's hair turning blue before meeting with an old friend. As his friends laughed, she looked at Ben. He was watching her with a smile and kept missing his mouth with his fork. After the feast, Dumbledore made the tables move against the walls, creating space for a dance floor. He conjured a raised platform at the front of the Hall, along with instruments. The Weird Sisters, a famous wizarding band, walked onto the stage. Harry had to be pushed towards the dance floor by Parvati. He looked reluctant to attempt any kind of dancing.

As the Weird Sisters played a slow tune, the champions danced. She struggled to not laugh as Harry almost stepped on Parvati's dress three times in less than a minute. More couples stepped onto the dance floor. Aria wanted to prolong dancing as long as possible.

"You know, some guys snuck in firewhiskey. They're hidden under every table in little barrels. We could get a bottle…or twenty"

"I don't want to get drunk. I want to remember every bit of this night"

"It was just an idea. I don't like drinking that much either"

"Do you want to dance?"

"Do you?"

"You're stalling"

"Pfft, stalling? Why would I do that?"

He pulled her over to the dance floor. One of his hands rested on her waist while the other grabbed her own hand. Her stomach twisted into tight knots. She placed her hand on his shoulder. As they danced, she started to get more comfortable. Her nerves would pop back up when guys attempted to cut in, asking her for a dance. Ben acted very protective, getting them to leave her alone.

"Sorry"

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked, confused.

"Because I'm sure you didn't want to be here, threatening guys while dancing"

"You think I care about a few idiots thinking they've got a shot with you? I wanted to come with the prettiest girl here and I did"

Aria's cheeks turned the same color as Ron's hair. She did not think her face could get any redder…

~Draco~

Draco was sitting at a table, holding a firewhiskey in his hand. In case the professors discovered the barrels, one of the seventh years had disguised the bottles as mulled mead. He was currently on his sixth bottle of firewhiskey in the span of three hours. Pansy kept asking him to dance but he claimed that he wanted to wait for a better song. She was sitting beside him, looking bored. Blaise, Daphne, Theodore, Tracey, Miles, and Millicent returned from the dance floor. Graham and Talia were still dancing, practically sucking each other's faces. Draco took another sip of his firewhiskey and watched an argument between Daphne and Blaise.

"It's one dance, Daph. You don't even want to be here with me. If Aaron was here, you'd be all over him"

"Shut up! I am not all over him. You are not asking that blonde skank to dance"

He knew that they were talking about Aria. When he saw her hiding outside the Entrance Hall, he thought she could not be stupid enough to attend the ball. Seeing her in a dress reminded him of the masquerade ball at Fudge's manor. No matter how much she annoyed him, he had to admit that she was the prettiest girl here. Every guy in the castle noticed her. When people were not trying to figure out why Viktor Krum asked Granger to be his date, they were questioning where the mysterious blonde had come from, not recognizing her from any of the three schools. He had heard the rumor going around that she was a family friend of Ben's, who turned out to be her date. During the ball, guys attempted to sneak a dance with her but were rejected or threatened by Ben.

Draco looked over at the dance floor. Aria and Ben were dancing to a fast song. She giggled as he spun her around. His stomach felt strange as if a million bees were swarming inside him. He sneered at the couple and downed his firewhiskey. Reaching under the table, he grabbed another bottle.

"How many of those have you had?" asked Theodore, getting his own bottle and sitting next to him.

"Two" he lied.

"Are you sure? You look a little buzzed"

"I'm fine"

As Blaise and Daphne continued to argue, Pansy watched Aria. Draco doubted she would remember seeing her face in those photos last year. Pansy did not have the best memory.

"Doesn't she look familiar, Draco?"

"No" he said, drinking half of the bottle in one sip.

"I could swear"

"Who cares? Why do you care who some French idiot brought as a date?"

Pansy looked surprised by his sudden anger. She shrugged, saying that she was just curious about Aria. Tracey told them that a lot of girls from all three schools asked Ben to the Yule Ball. Rolling his eyes, Draco continued to drink his firewhiskey.

"Dance with me. I love this song"

"Pansy, I don't feel like dancing"

She pouted. "Please? You haven't danced with me all night"

"Later. Go ask someone else. I don't mind"

Daphne, Tracey, and Millicent glared, hearing his harsh words. Pansy grabbed a bottle of firewhiskey.

"What are you doing?"

"Obviously, you're just going to sit here and drink the whole time. I'll do the same"

"You know you're a lightweight. Put it down"

"I can do what I want. All I want to do is dance with my boyfriend but clearly, that's too much to ask"

Draco did not bother to fight with her. Daphne threatened Blaise that if he went over to Aria, she would spread horrible rumors about him. The Weird Sisters began to play a slow song…

~Aria~

Aria and Ben had not left the dance floor since the first song. If any professor got too close, Ben would turn her around to keep them from seeing her face clearly. She was slow dancing with him, leaning her head against his chest. He had been right that the ball would be fun. She was glad that he convinced her to go with him.

"I think it's time for your Christmas present"

"You didn't have to get me anything"

"Well you're getting it. Let me just tell Maxime that I'm leaving. Wait for me outside the Great Hall"

Aria nodded and watched him walk over to a waltzing Dumbledore and Maxime. She left the Great Hall, twirling her hair around her finger. Fleur and Roger passed by her, holding glasses of mead.

"Aria, are you leaving already?" asked Fleur.

"I'm meeting Ben out here. He had to talk to Maxime really quick"

"He likes you very much. His eyes shine like ze stars when he is around you. You are very lucky"

"Thanks"

Sitting on a window ledge, she waited for Ben. She heard someone puking in the nearby bathroom. Thinking about Ben's present, she continued to play with her hair.

"Well, aren't you a real Cinderella story?"

Draco walked over to her, holding a half-empty firewhiskey bottle. He was stumbling a bit. She was not surprised that he had been drinking the hidden firewhiskey. He glanced at his wrist as if he had a watch.

"It's almost midnight. Shouldn't you get back to our room before you turn into a pumpkin?"

"You don't know your muggle fairytales. I'm not surprised. The carriage turned into a pumpkin, not her"

"Where's your Prince Charming?" he asked, mockingly.

"Inside, talking to his headmistress. Where's your girlfriend?"

Draco explained that Pansy was the one puking in the bathroom. She had too many bottles of firewhiskey. Being a lightweight, she did not hold her liquor well.

"And yet you're not with her. Such an amazing boyfriend" you replied, sarcastically.

He scoffed. "The girls are with her. She's fine"

"Seriously, you should write a book. How to be a complete git to your girlfriend. If you cared about her, you'd be helping her, not continuing to drink in an attempt to destroy what little brain cells you have left"

Aria scrunched her nose in disgust as he burst into a fit of laughter. She hid her embarassment when a few people looked over at them. The Entrance Hall was mostly empty except for people standing near the staircase.

"You've always got a good joke, Collins. So witty" he slurred.

He took a swig from the bottle. "Where's your little golden-eyed boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend. We're just friends"

"Oh come on, you've been hanging around guys all this time. You know how we act. Guys are not just friends with girls. Do you think he's not into girls?"

"He isn't—shut up. Go away"

"Make me"

"You really don't want me to. Even in this dress, I could kick your ass"

His hand leaned against the wall, helping him keep his balance. He finished his firewhiskey and tossed it outside. She glanced over at the doors to the Great Hall, hoping Ben returned soon.

"You're mean to me, Collins"

"I'm mean to _you_? Really?"

"If you were nicer, I'd tell you the secret I know…it has to do with you. It's a big secret. Maybe that memory charm did wear off and I'm just not telling you"

"You're even more of an idiot when you're drunk"

"I bet Ben feels so special, getting to dance with you. Should I tell him that I got to do it first at the masquerade ball? We were pretty close that night"

"The difference is that I liked dancing with Ben. When I was dancing with you, I contemplated bashing your head into the ground"

Draco smirked, moving closer. Now that she was not disguised as Aaron, he towered over her. His other hand moved near the side of her face. It prevented her from moving away from him.

"You know, I haven't told anyone the truth about you"

"Because if you do, you'll break that vow and die"

"I could have easily led them to you by now. I deserve something for being such a good secret keeper"

"I'll bake you some cookies with little ferrets on them"

His hand brushed against her side, resting on her hip. She tensed up slightly. Her eyes darted to the Great Hall doors. Ben was still speaking with Maxime. She turned back to Draco. He was staring intently into her eyes.

"I want a kiss"

"What?" she asked, shocked.

"A kiss. I like you"

He was now standing so close that she could see herself reflected in his eyes. She could smell the firewhiskey on his breath. Never in her life had she felt both so confused and anxious at the same time. Her heart pounded against her chest at the thought that this might be her first kiss.

"Fine. I'll play along. Why do you supposedly like me?"

"You're very sexy"

Her stomach boiled with anger when she heard his shallow reason. She mentally cursed herself for thinking he was being genuine for once in his life.

"What else?"

He looked at her, strangely. "What other reason do I need?"

"You're a pig"

His hand curled around her hair. She smacked it away, glaring.

"If your date really cared about you, he wouldn't let you out of his sight for even a second, especially when you look like this"

Their lips were mere inches apart. With a low growl, she kneed him in the groin. He groaned, falling to the ground.

"He knows I can take care of myself"

Ben left the Great Hall. He looked down between Aria, who was ready to stomp on Draco's face with her heels, and Draco, who was in a lot of pain. She brought him out of the castle. They sat on a stone bench hidden by rose bushes.

"What happened? What did he do?"

Aria decided against telling him how Draco almost kissed her. She lied that he was teasing her, calling her silly names.

"He was being a git as usual. Forget it. I took care of him"

"Looked like it. If he bothers you again"

"He won't"

Ben took out a thin black box. He handed it to her, telling her it was her Christmas present. Opening it, she saw a silver-chained necklace. A clear crescent moon pendant hung off it, containing twinkling lights. She looked closely at the pendant.

"Are those…stars?"

"Yep. I found it in a shop back in France"

He put the necklace around her neck. "I got it because you are my shining star"

"This looks really expensive"

"It doesn't matter when it comes to you. I have another gift"

"You don't have to spend so much on me. I'm not taking it"

"This one doesn't cost any money"

"Ben, I don't"

Aria was cut off by his lips pressing against hers. He pulled away and cupped her cheek. A million thoughts raced through her head. Her body felt frozen to the bench.

"W—why did you do that?"

"Because I like you a lot…well, like is an understatement for what I feel. I want you to be my girlfriend"

"No"

He looked at her, surprised. "No?"

"Why are you doing this? Why do you have to make this all complicated?"

"It's not complicated. I like you, you like me"

"You don't know what I feel. Why would you want me?"

"Because you're beautiful, smart, funny, feisty…to me, you're perfect"

He reached for her hand. Aria moved it away, placing it on her lap. She told Ben that he was an idiot for wanting her. In her mind, she did not understand why he would want to be with her when she could not even look like a girl all the time. He knew that she would be stuck masquerading as a guy until her father was released from Azkaban, which could take years.

"I don't care about that"

"How can you not care?! Instead of holding hands with your girlfriend, you could barely touch me or everyone would think you're interested in guys! Who the hell would want that?"

"You're worth it. Maybe I can't do that stuff during the day but when you're not in class, I can. Even during the day, I can look at you and know that you're mine and that I am with the most amazing girl. Do you know how many times I've wanted to kiss you before now? I like you, Aria, and I'm not sorry about it. All you're doing is looking for reasons not to be with me that you're ignoring why you should"

"And why should I?"

"Because you feel the same…that attraction, the connection between us. Give it a chance"

Reluctantly, she kissed him. Her heart was racing. He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She could feel her knees weaken. Her fingers ran through his hair. Suddenly, the rose bushes were blasted apart. Snape and Karkaroff stood in front of them.

"Dolon, I suggest you leave before I tell your headmistress about your secret activities with your date"

Aria looked between the two men, wondering why would they be together. She had never seen them having a conversation. Something dark was imprinted on Karkaroff's left wrist. Before she could get a closer look, she noticed Snape's eyes on her. His brows knitted together in confusion. Ben apologized and grabbed her hand, bringing her towards the Beauxbatons carriage…

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I wanted to show Aria's insecurities through the Yule Ball. Since she has been posing as a guy for so long, she really doesn't know how to be a regular girl. She's not used to guys giving her attention or being seen as pretty. Because of her insecurities, she doesn't get why Ben would see her as more than a friend and it's why she lashes out when he confesses that he likes her. She doesn't understand why he would rather be with her when he could date a girl that isn't hiding such a big secret and can't even look like a girl most of the time. The scene between Draco and Aria is important too because as the saying goes, ****_drunken words are sober thoughts_****. **


	31. Trapped

Aria was sitting in the Beauxbatons carriages with Ben. They had hid in there to escape from being found by any professors and to get some privacy. Though the Yule Ball had ended at midnight, they continued to have fun. Aria and Ben were kissing for what felt like hours. She wondered to herself how neither of them had lost air. Ben started to unzip the back of her dress. She immediately panicked, not expecting things to move this fast. Grabbing his hand, she told him that she was not ready for anything past a kiss. A small part of her worried that he would get angry with her. Ben apologized, telling her that shifters had poor emotional control and tended to get caught up in the moment. He kissed her cheek and assured that he would not pressure her into doing anything that made her uncomfortable. She decided to return to the castle, noticing that it was already three in the morning.

Ben walked with her across the grounds, their hands intertwined. As they entered the castle, they dodged Filch, who was cleaning up the mess from the ball. He muttered to himself about filthy, ungrateful children. Mrs. Norris, his cat, followed him, carrying a dustpan in her mouth. Once he passed them, they hurried down to the Slytherin common room. She hoped that no one was around to see her. It was too late at night for her to think of a convincing cover story. She took off her heels, tired of wearing them all night. Ben kissed her softly.

"One last kiss to tide me over until tomorrow"

"Salazar" she told the wall.

The wall slid open, revealing the passageway. Aria watched Ben leave the dungeons. She walked through the passageway, touching her lips with a grin. The last few hours had seemed like a dream. She did not expect the Yule Ball to end with her and Ben being an actual couple.

"Back so soon, Collins? Still pure and innocent?"

Draco was sitting on the couch, holding another firewhiskey bottle. He had to be the only person still drinking at this hour. She rolled her eyes, not wanting to deal with his drunken self. He moved in front of the staircase, looking her up and down.

"Get out of my way, Malfoy"

"Surprised you're not with your boyfriend"

"He's n—you're right. He is my boyfriend. He asked me tonight"

"Well aren't you a lucky duck" he replied, mockingly.

"He's ten times the guy you are"

"And yet you're not still with him. Didn't please him enough?"

Aria's fists clenched. She was angry with Draco's insinuation that she slept with Ben. He had no sense of decency. From living with him in the dormitory all this time, she knew that most of the Slytherin guys, including Draco, thought of girls as their playthings. They were merely interested in getting a hook up then treating the girl like dirt.

"Unlike you, Ben doesn't just want me because for a good shag in bed"

"I'm still waiting for that kiss"

"You're out of your mind if you think I will ever kiss you, ferret. I'd sooner kiss a dog. The only reason you wanted a kiss is because you think I'm hot"

He scoffed. "Why are you so damn stubborn, Collins? Any girl would love to get a kiss from me"

"Your ego is so huge that I don't even know how you make it through the door. You have a girlfriend. You remember Pansy, right?"

"I don't want to date you, Collins. I just wanted one little kiss"

"You're a pig. Pansy deserves a lot better than you"

She pushed him aside. As she walked upstairs, she heard him mutter something about Ben being an idiot. She turned towards him, fighting the urge to break his nose with her fist.

"What did you say about Ben? Say it to my face like a man…or are you a coward like your father?"

"He is an idiot. He must be really desperate to want you, Collins. I bet that he'll ditch you when he realizes you're not worth all this trouble. Honestly, I think he feels sorry for you"

Unable to come up with a retort, she walked into her room. Tears brimmed her eyes. She wiped them away, not wanting that blonde moron to get under her skin. It would be a lie if she said that his words did not plant doubts in her head about Ben's real feelings. Aria wiped off her makeup in the bathroom. She was taking off her lip gloss when she suddenly felt very tired. Her knees buckled and she leaned against the counter for support. She took a few deep breaths. After casting her disguising charms, she left the bathroom and practically flopped onto her bed. She could barely keep her eyes open as she fell into a deep sleep.

For Aria, the following couple of weeks were not easy. The professors increased their amount of homework even more, leaving barely any free time. To make matters worse, she would randomly feel very ill and tired. It would happen out of nowhere, as if her body was being drained of energy. Her first thought was that Riven was attempting the summoning spell again. At first, she kept the incidents to herself, not wanting everyone to panic over nothing. Her secret was out when Daphne noticed her almost faint in the middle of Charms class. Daphne urged her to tell the professors about what was happening to her. After much insistence, Aria described the symptoms to Dumbledore in his office. He warned her to not go anywhere alone, which proved difficult when the professors and her friends watched her like a hawk. Not even Hermione, who had read thousands of books, had an explanation.

The only thing keeping her relaxed was Ben. Every night, they would meet in the forest. Aria felt like such a stereotypical girl when seeing Ben made her heart flutter. She was glad that he convinced her to give them a chance as a couple. Being around him made her happier than she had been in years. Just seeing him caused her to break out in a huge smile. It was tough to not just hug or kiss him during the day, especially in the Great Hall. She did not want her friends to get suspicious of their relationship. Draco's words on the night of the Yule Ball had been long gone from her mind. She disregarded them as just an attempt to hurt her, believing that Ben really did care for her. Everything seemed perfect when they could spend time alone. Sometimes, she wanted to ditch Hogwarts and go away with him anywhere. She was surprised herself that she was falling for Ben so deeply.

Aria was getting ready for a trip to Hogsmeade. She decided to spend the day with Harry, Ron, and Hermione then later, she and Ben would have a date. He would not tell her what he had planned, wanting to keep it a surprise. She stocked a couple pepperup potions in her bag and went downstairs. A group of second years were laughing over the current article by Rita Skeeter. Somehow, Skeeter had learned that Hagrid was half-giant. Her article painted him as a vicious, intimidating man who had forced Dumbledore to give him a teaching position. Some Slytherins had given interviews to her, bringing up the hippogriff incident and completely lying about being bitten by harmless creatures. Aria had no idea when they gave the interviews, considering she had never seen Skeeter around them. The article caused Hagrid to hide in his cabin and a substitute teacher, Professor Grubbly-Plank, to take his place. Though she was a great teacher, preferred by most students, Aria did miss Hagrid. She felt terrible that he was too embarrassed to show his face.

The Slytherins enjoyed the article the most, quoting it all the time and making cruel jokes. They were waiting for the barrage of letters to Dumbledore, asking for Hagrid to be banished from the castle. Pansy boasted that her father was threatening to pull his funding to the school if Hagrid was not at least fired from teaching Care of Magical Creatures. As the second years laughed over Hagrid's predicament, Aria snatched the newspaper.

"Don't you have anything better to do, brats?"

"Hey, give that back. It's mine" said one of the boys, glaring.

"If I see you making fun of Hagrid again, I'll turn you into little slugs. Are we clear?"

"Draco makes fun of him all the time. He's funny"

"Let me give you some advice. If your idol is Draco Malfoy, you have serious issues and need to reevaluate your priorities"

She burned the newspaper, tossing the ashes into the fireplace. Leaving the dungeons, she found Harry, Ron, and Hermione waiting in the Entrance Hall. Hermione looked at her, concerned.

"Aaron, are you sure you want to come with us? Maybe you should rest"

"I'm fine. Nothing's happened for two days. It could have just been a bad cold"

They walked down to the village, seeing Viktor diving into the lake. Aria thought he was insane, considering it was the middle of January. When Harry voiced a similar opinion, Hermione pointed out that Viktor was very nice and not anything like they would expect from a Durmstrang student. Aria suppressed a smile, seeing that Hermione liked him.

Entering the Three Broomsticks, they went over to the bar, ordering butterbeers. Aria noticed Ben sitting with his Beauxbatons friends. She tried not to blush when he smiled at her. Madam Rosmerta handed them a tray of butterbeers and they sat at a booth. Aria noticed Ludo Bagman sitting with a group of goblins. They looked even more menacing than usual, staring at him with their beady eyes. Her mother always taught her that goblins were trouble. If Bagman was meeting with them, it was not for a casual chat. Bagman looked very anxious as he spoke to the goblins, wringing his hands. Seeing Harry, his demeanor instantly changed and he walked over to their booth, smiling.

Bagman asked to speak to Harry in private, leading him to a corner of the pub. Aria watched their conversation with suspicion. After a few minutes, Harry returned to the booth. Fred and George were now speaking with Bagman, who did not look pleased to be around them. Bagman had offered to help Harry with the second task. Both Hermione and Aria could see that he had dishonest intentions. If Bagman was offering to help Harry, he should do the same for Cedric, who was also Hogwarts champion. Harry claimed that he had worked out the clue of the golden egg, which screeched when opened, but Aria saw through his lie. Spending time with Ben, who was very good friends with Fleur, she learned that Fleur had not figured out the egg either. Maxime was doing all she could to give her help with the clue. Aria was sure that she knew all about the second task.

According to Bagman, the goblins had arrived in Hogsmeade to look for Crouch. He had recently gotten ill, the reason for Percy taking place at the Yule Ball. Crouch had not been seen in weeks, never showing up for work at the Ministry. Percy, his assistant, was receiving instructions by owl. Bagman wanted to keep his disappearance quiet since Bertha Jorkins was still missing after all these months. Ron suggested that Percy had been poisoning Crouch so that he could get his job as head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.

"He's just getting instructions from Crouch by owl? That's weird"

"Well Bagman said he's sick"

"Then why hasn't he shown up to St. Mungo's?"

"You think something happened to him?" asked Harry, curiously.

"It's possible. Things have been weird ever since the World Cup. Look, the death eaters disbanded years ago but everyone knew they were still around, just keeping a low profile. Now they suddenly appear and cause a huge riot, the Dark Mark appears in the sky, and your dreams about Voldemort…it's not coincidence"

Aria ignored Ron and Hermione flinching at his name. Harry questioned if death eaters could have taken Crouch. As they discussed various theories, Rita Skeeter entered the pub with her sleazy photographer. Aria heard her mention that Bagman would not speak to her and already began thinking of a title for her next article that would obviously trash his reputation. Harry glared as she passed by their table. Aria could not even cast a silencing charm before he opened his mouth, asking if Skeeter was going to ruin another person's life. When the article about Hagrid had circled around Hogwarts, he had been very angry, considering Hagrid to be a dear friend. Skeeter smiled, showing her three gold teeth.

"Harry! How lovely to see you! Why don't you come and join us?"

"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot broomstick. Why did you do that to Hagrid?"

Being a typical journalist, she told him that people had a right to know the truth. Aria did not hear even a shred of remorse in her voice for ruining Hagrid's life. The entire pub was staring at their booth.

"Who cares if he's half-giant? There's nothing wrong with him!"

Taking out her Quick-Quotes Quill, she asked Harry for an interview about Hagrid. Aria was pressing her wand into Harry's side to keep him from doing anything stupid like lunging at Skeeter. She did not expect Hermione to be the one to talk back to her.

"You horrible woman. You don't care, do you? Anything for a story and anyone will do. Even Ludo Bagman" she said, standing up.

"Sit down, you silly girl, and don't talk about things you don't understand. I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl…_not _that it needs it" replied Skeeter, harshly.

Aria stood between Hermione and Skeeter. "Listen here, you ugly hag, why don't you just stop bothering Harry? You're a nobody. All you do is tear other people down to make yourself feel better. You think you're so much better than everyone else, when the truth is that you're a cockroach. I hope you're happy when you're old and gray, surrounded by fifty cats as your only companions"

Skeeter's nostrils flared in anger. Aria followed Hermione out of the pub. Harry and Ron joined them, looking shocked. Ron warned the two girls not to get on Skeeter's bad side. She could dig up dirt on them and they would be the subject of her next scathing article. Aria was not worried about some silly journalist. Hermione wanted to go see Hagrid to get him out of hiding. As they left the village, she felt her head get dizzy. She stopped walking, her eyes shut tightly.

"Aaron?"

"Go ahead. I'm going to take a pepperup potion and I'll meet you there, promise. I don't want Hagrid to hide anymore either"

They walked up the path to Hagrid's cabin. Aria went into the bathroom of the nearby quill shop. She held onto the sink, breathing heavily. Her vision was very blurry. She noticed her disguising charm wear off and tried to cast them again but she was too weak. As she searched her bag for a pepperup potion, she saw someone entering the bathroom. She fainted, crumpling to the floor.

Aria woke up, still quite dizzy. She was no longer in the shop's bathroom and thought the person had brought her back to Hogwarts. Glancing down, she saw her hands and knees covered in dirt. She was in a dark cave. Placing her hands along the wall, she stood up, her legs shaking. She reached into her pocket but could not find her wand. Struggling, she walked towards a light shining a couple feet in front of her. She was knocked back as she hit the cave opening. Moving her hand in front of her, she realized it was an invisible shield. It was pitch black outside but she could see some Hogsmeade shops. She waved her hand, attempting wandless magic.

"Try all you want. I'll admit you are a skilled witch but you're too young to use wandless magic to break this enchantment"

Her uncle Grant stepped out of the shadows, wearing a crisp suit. She thought that she was still unconscious and this was a bad nightmare. He twirled her wand between his fingers. His wicked smile unnerved her.

"Look at you, Aria…alive and all grown up. You've impressed me and I must say, it is difficult to do that. I truly thought you were dead"

"You should never underestimate me, Grant. I'll get out of here"

"Oh, I doubt that. I've put soundproofing charms all over this area. No one will hear you scream. You're far too weak to break out of here. Even if you do, I have spies watching you to ensure you don't make it out of the mountains. I will come get you soon. Don't worry, my dear little niece. You should be used to this, alone and wallowing in the dirt"

"Please let me go. You need me"

She shuddered at the sound of his cruel laughter. "You're right about that. You're very important to our plans. I should take some precautions"

He conjured a large boulder. Waving his wand, he moved it in front of the cave entrance. Aria banged her fists on the invisible shield, begging her uncle to not leave her.

"Let me out! You can't leave me in here! Let me out! Ben!"

She let out a piercing scream. The boulder shattered into pieces but the shield remained in place. She did not stop screaming and hitting the shield in an effort to channel enough wandless magic to reverse the enchantment. Her knuckles were covered in blood.

"Ben! Please help me! Ben, I need you!"

Aria continued to scream at the top of her lungs, desperately hoping that anyone heard her…

* * *

**Thanks for reading :)**


	32. Tortured

Aria had been trapped in the cave outside of Hogsmeade for at least a week. Lack of food and water caused her to lose count of the days. She could barely keep her eyes open most of the time. With all of her might, she screamed at the top of her longs, hoping that anyone would hear her. She had seen people crossing the mountains but they never passed by the caves, always being stopped by one of Grant's men. They used the excuse that the Ministry was doing special construction work around the caves so no one was allowed near the area. She attempted wandless magic but she could not gather enough energy to create even a tiny portal. Her conditions in the cave had gotten so terrible that she honestly contemplated just ending her life. She did not want to be at the mercy of the people who ruined her family. Deep down, she knew that Riven was the one who led Grant to her. She imagined that once she was out of the cave, she would be chained up in some dark, dirty basement.

Like every other day, she was struggling to break the invisible shield. She put her hand on the shield, concentrating her magic on that single spot. It slowly began to crack and as her hand slipped through, she felt the sun on her skin. Her dry throat made it difficult to scream. She shouted for Ben, thinking that he would hear her with his heightened senses…

~Draco~

Draco was sitting in the Great Hall during breakfast. No one cared much about the upcoming task for the Triwizard Tournament because they were all discussing the same thing, "Aaron's" disappearance. Aria had vanished during the last Hogsmeade trip three weeks ago. He first learned about it when Granger walked over to the Slytherin table. She asked Draco and his friends if they had seen Aria. Supposedly, she was going to help the Golden Trio get the half-giant out of hiding in his cabin. Aria had experienced another sudden feeling of weariness and promised to meet them after drinking a pepperup potion. She never showed up to the cabin. No one had seen her for the rest of the night, not even Ben. The professors were immediately on the alert, contacting the Ministry.

For the past week, aurors had been scouting the grounds for any sign of her. Draco had a feeling that she was not just lost in the forest. He dreaded the thought in his head that Orion, or worse his father, could be involved in her disappearance. The girls kept pestering the professors, worried for Aria's safety. He watched as Daphne tried to get information out of Snape.

"Miss Greengrass"

"Professor, Aaron didn't just vanish. What if he was kidnapped? He could be dead. Please let us help"

Snape sighed. "I am going into Hogsmeade to speak with the shopkeepers. You could aid me"

"We will" said Tracey, eagerly.

They forced Draco, Blaise, and Theodore out of the Great Hall. Going down to Hogsmeade was not very successful. The shopkeepers would mention only seeing Aria with Granger, Potter, and Weasley. It was really as if she vanished into thin air. Leaving the quill shop, Pansy hurried over to them. She told Snape that one of the employees saw Aria looking very ill and entering the bathroom. He had been there all day but never saw her leave. Snape went into the quill shop to further question the employee. After a while, he admitted that he had seen a suspicious man in the shop. His face was hidden by the hood of his cloak. The man had a crystal in his hand that glowed bright red and went in the direction of the bathrooms. Like Aria, he had not seen the man leave the shop. Snape left the shop, looking very uneasy.

"Do you think that man took Aaron, sir?" asked Blaise.

"It sounds very likely. The crystal sounded very similar to a tracking crystal. It's used to find people. The wizard simply speaks the name of who they are looking for and the crystal glows brighter when they're close to them"

"Then we can try the same, can't we? Just say Aaron's name and we'll find him" said Daphne, hopefully.

Draco kept his eyes on the ground. He was now certain that his father was involved, unable to think of anyone else who would search for her. If he never made that unbreakable vow, he would be telling Snape the truth about Aria.

"Dolon, what are you doing?"

Ben was near the path that led to the mountains. For a second, Draco thought he had been sniffing the air like a dog.

"I was just walking around. Is that illegal?"

"You shouldn't be out alone. Surely you do not want to go missing as well?"

"Is s—he still missing? You haven't found Aaron?"

Though he tried to sound calm, the expression on his face showed how worried he was about Aria. Snape informed him that they had no leads on her whereabouts. While Snape continued to question shops, Draco split off from his friends and walked over to Ben.

"I'm sure Collins is fine"

Ben glared. "She's not fine, you stupid prat. She wouldn't just disappear. For all I know, it could've been your cousin trying to pick another senseless fight or m—forget it. Just go away"

"You need to tell Snape the truth about her. I can't do it because of the unbreakable vow but nothing is stopping you"

"Are you insane? Aria has been hiding all this time for a reason. That professor of yours supposedly changed sides but I bet if he saw her, he'd hand her right over to save his own skin"

Draco was confused by what he meant about changing sides. Ben ran his hand through his hair and kicked over a trash bin.

"I was supposed to protect her"

"Well, you're doing a bad job"

He let out a low growl. "I don't need your commentary! Shut up before I"

His eyes widened slightly. He turned his head towards the mountains. Draco could not see anything up there. He followed Ben down the path. There were a series of caves that used to be home to giant clans. A burly man apparated in front of them.

"Sorry, lads. Can't go up there"

"Why not?" asked Ben.

"Construction being done by the Ministry. Fudge has us here to make sure no one gets in the way. Don't want to lose a arm or leg, do you?"

"Construction? What the hell is he doing to the mountains?"

"That's his business"

"Yea, well, my girlfriend is missing and I want to check if she's there"

"Doubt it. We've been here for weeks and no one's slipped past us"

Ben grabbed his wand from his coat pocket. Draco stopped him from starting a fight. The man looked like an Azkaban convict and would probably not care about hurting two teenagers. He had to force Ben back down to Hogsmeade.

"Mate, you need to relax"

"Don't call me mate. We're not friends. Aria's up there"

"He said he didn't see"

"It's called lying, you idiot. You should be very familiar with that concept. If there was construction being done, there would be signs everywhere. He wasn't there for Fudge. Someone else paid him to keep anyone else out of those caves. I heard her screaming for help. She's trapped"

"We can tell Snape. He can contact the Ministry to see if"

"I'm not waiting that long! I'll get Aria back by myself"

Draco watched as Ben headed back towards the mountains, gripping his wand...

~Aria~

Aria stopped shouting, seeing someone walking up the path. It was a cloaked figure, covering their face with the hood. He waved his wand. A jet of red light hit the side of her head, knocking her unconscious.

Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to her new surroundings. She was no longer in the cave. Glancing around, she recognized her aunt's manor. Her legs and arms had been chained down to a chair. The chains were laced with wolfsbane, burning her skin. When she tried to break free from the chains, an immense amount of pain shot through her body. Gashes and bruises formed across her skin. Figures in black robes and masks appeared in front of her. She was reminded of the night of her mother's death. One of the death eaters stepped forward, conjuring a sprig of wolfsbane. He brushed it against her cheek and she winced, feeling it burn.

Their masks and robes vanished, revealing her captors. Her aunt Elyse, uncle Grant, Ethan, Victoria, Macnair, Mr. Parkinson, and Mr. Malfoy stood in front of her. She noticed that her aunt avoided any eye contact, staring firmly at the fireplace. Mr. Malfoy had been the one to burn her with wolfsbane. He smirked down at her.

"Well, isn't this a sweet reunion? Did you really think you could hide forever, Aria?"

"Ethan, watch over her while we…prepare" said Grant.

Ethan stayed in the living room with her. The back of his hand brushed against her cheek. She moved her head away from him, disgusted by his touch.

"You're not a little girl anymore. The last time I saw you, you were playing with dolls. Now look at you, torturing Ministry officials"

The flames in the fireplace turned green. Graham and Draco emerged from the fireplace, still in their Hogwarts uniforms. Ethan chastised them for taking too long when they had been contacted ten minutes ago by their fathers. Draco looked over at Aria, who was still struggling against the chair, causing more cuts on her skin.

"Ethan, what's going on? Why are we—why is she here?"

"Oh, you know her?"

"She was at the Yule Ball. She was the date of one of the Beauxbatons guys"

Ethan chuckled. He bent down to Aria, pinching her cheek.

"This is our baby cousin, Aria"

"What? Ethan, that's not—you're confused. Aria's dead"

"I thought so too. She's smarter than she looks. You really beat that dumb blonde stereotype"

She spit in his face. He snarled and walked over to the fireplace. Grabbing the poker, he heated it in the flames and pierced her neck. She cried out in pain.

"Ethan, stop!" pleaded Graham.

"Hasn't mommy taught you to treat your elders with respect? Oh right, she's dead"

Her wounds were not healing. She could barely keep her head up without hard effort. He forced wolfsbane into her mouth and she coughed it up, feeling blood on her lips.

"Aw, does the wolfsbane hurt, princess?" he asked in a childish voice.

"Why are you hurting her?"

"Because I can, Graham. She gave us such a scare all this time but now, there's nothing to worry about because she's alive. We're all good"

"For what?"

He ripped off Ben's necklace. She felt a small burst of energy course through her body.

"This is adorable, Aria. Did you get it from someone special? Is my baby cousin in love?"

"No!" she shouted as he tossed it into the fireplace.

Ethan smirked. "Oops. I'm so clumsy"

He led Graham and Draco out of the room to explain everything. She continued to cough up the wolfsbane. A bottled water was held under her mouth. Glancing up, she saw Draco.

"Drink it or you won't get the taste out. This is probably the most water you'll see in a while"

Draco tilted the bottle and she took small sips. Ethan was still talking to Graham about the situation. He admitted to both of them about the shifter bloodline that ran through the Collins family. Her grandfather used dark magic to suppress the ability in most of her cousins. When each of them turned 13, he decided if they were good enough to become shifters, judging them by their magical prowess. He wanted to have the strongest bloodline and due to his high standards, only Ethan maintained his shifter abilities.

"I'm guessing your boyfriend is one too. How did they find you?"

Aria was taking shallow breaths. He patted her cheek.

"Collins, look at me. You need to stay awake. It'll be okay"

"How is this okay? Just kill me. I won't help them so kill me"

"I'm not—stop talking like that. I'll loosen the chains a little"

As Draco reached for the chains around her right leg, he retracted his hand as though he had been electrocuted.

"I told you that _your_ son would be the weak one, Lucius"

The three men, Elyse, Ethan, Victoria, and Graham returned to the room. Graham looked very disturbed by their treatment of Aria. Mr. Malfoy sighed.

"Yes, Draco does have a one-track mind when it comes to girls. Draco, get away from her"

"Father, she can barely breathe"

"Why is that of concern to you?"

"I just"

"I said move…or I'll chain you up beside her"

Draco stepped away from the chair. His father made him stand next to Graham so neither could interfere with their plans. Grant walked over to her, holding more wolfsbane. Graham begged him to let her go, reasoning that they could not hurt their own family.

"Graham, she is not leaving. She is too important. He needs to see her when he returns"

"Who?"

Mr. Parkinson smiled. "The Dark Lord, of course. There have been signs of his impending return and we will be ready. We have the perfect gift for him"

Grant shoved wolfsbane into her mouth. He kept his hand over her mouth, making her swallow it. Blood dripped from the corner of her lips.

"We've failed him twice already. She was supposed to come with us when she was born but her foolish parents did not listen. The second time, the little brat escaped. If we do not have her when he returns, he will kill all of us"

"When your grandfather arrives, he'll keep her somewhere safe. There's no reason to worry" said Elyse.

Grant kept torturing her, using wolfsbane or knives laced with the herb. Draco simply stood there, doing nothing. Aria was beginning to gain her strength back. She did not question the sudden change, pretending to still be hurt. They could not see that under her clothes, her wounds were healing. She played up her injuries, begging to be set free. As Grant tortured her, Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Parkinson asked her questions. They wanted to know things like where she had been hiding and how she managed to stay alive for so long. Unknown to them, she was giving them false answers. They still did not know that she masqueraded as Aaron at Hogwarts.

"Did you really think you could beat me, Aria? You're a child. You stand no chance" whispered Mr. Malfoy.

"I did some damage, actually. I can make you have those hallucinations again. I'm not afraid of you. Look at me"

Her eyes were on Elyse, who had been staring at a random painting the entire time. "Stop being a coward and look at me"

Elyse turned towards her. Aria insisted that if she was going to be stuck here, potentially helping Voldemort, she wanted her father out of Azkaban. For years, Elyse had the evidence to clear his name and he did not deserve to be trapped in a jail cell for his entire life. Mr. Malfoy chuckled.

"You are in no position to make demands. Perhaps if you please the Dark Lord, when he returns, he will have your father released. I doubt it since he despised him"

"If you don't let him out and I get out of these chains, I will kill everyone you love. I do not give a damn about any of you in this room"

She looked at Grant. "I'll start with your precious wife. I'll rip out her throat and crush her neck with my teeth as you watch. As she takes her dying breaths, I'll make her watch as I kill your children, one by one"

Grant grabbed her roughly. Both Graham and Elyse pleaded with him to not hurt her. Elyse only cared about keeping her alive.

"Do not think I will not put you within an inch of death, you insolent child. You are nothing. You're just like your parents, weak and pathetic. Your mother deserved what she got and your father will get the same, I assure you"

Aria growled, breaking the chains off of her hands. She shoved Grant roughly, making him crash through the wall. She stood up, breaking the chains around her legs. Grant stumbled back into the manor, holding his head. Everyone else was frozen in shock. She grabbed Grant by his throat, slamming him against the fireplace. He wrestled against her grip.

"I have been drinking wolfsbane for the past year and a half, Grant. You caught me by surprise one time but let me assure you of something. You will never get the upper hand on me again. You are going to get my father out of Azkaban. Here's a little incentive to make sure you do what I ask"

She moved in front of Victoria, who was shaking. Before Victoria could grab her wand, Aria snatched her hair and forcefully tilted her neck to the side. Her fangs emerged and she bit into her neck, causing her to scream.

"Tori!"

When Aria let go of her, Victoria dropped to the floor. There was a large bite wound across her neck. Aria wiped her mouth clean. Ethan's eyes turned golden and he lunged at her. She swiped her hand, making contact with his face and knocking him to the floor. She kicked him hard in the stomach, making him cough up blood.

"Your daughter will be dead within three days. I suggest that you work quickly, Elyse. We both know only I have the cure for that bite"

Aria walked out of the manor. Creating a portal, she returned to Hogwarts…

~Draco~

Draco was still in shock over what happened just five minutes ago. It all happened in a blur. One second, Aria looked like she was near death and the next, she freed herself and had bitten Victoria. He did not know much about shifters, only learning about them today. From everyone's reaction, Victoria was not going to survive the attack. Mrs. Montague was kneeling next to her daughter, holding a cloth to her neck. The wound had not stopped bleeding. Even the strongest healing charms showed little effect. As soon as the wound was sealed, it opened up again, bleeding more than before.

Graham's grandfather arrived in the manor, ready to take Aria. When he learned that she had escaped, he was furious. He did not even seem to care that his own granddaughter was in danger. Graham helped Ethan up from the floor. Ethan had a wound on the side of his head from Aria hitting him before her escape. For someone so petite, she was very strong. Their grandfather interrogated Mr. Montague, Mr. Parkinson, and Draco's father.

"How did you lose her, Grant? She's a teenage girl. I gave you that wolfsbane to control her"

"S—she was pretending to be affected, Caleb. We didn't realize it until she had broken free" explained Mr. Parkinson, bewildered.

He sighed in frustration. "She learned that from Aaron. He did the same when he was a boy"

"Father, forget her for a minute. We need to heal Victoria" said Mrs. Montague, sobbing.

"Elyse, you know the only cure is the blood of the shifter who bit her. You'll need Aria's blood"

"I'll never get it. There has to be another way. She'll die"

Ethan blamed his grandfather for what happened to Victoria. If she was a shifter, the bite would not have this effect on her. He was furious that his grandfather acted like some kind of god, deciding if they were worthy of being shifters. His grandfather glared harshly at him. Despite his old age, he was still intimidating.

"Do not speak to me in that tone, insolent boy. Tell me, how did a young girl, who only began shifting a year ago, knock you down so easily?"

"She—I went to tackle her and"

"You weren't thinking. That appears to be a common theme in this family. Perhaps I should have denied the ability to you as well, Ethan"

"Ironic, isn't it? The one grandchild that you hate is the perfect shifter for your special bloodline" he spat.

"I suggest you hold your tongue. I have no trouble cutting a few more branches from our family tree. Elyse, I suggest you find Aria soon…or you'll lose your daughter"

"Father, she—it took us six years to find her the first time" replied Mrs. Montague.

"Then try very hard. I am being lenient compared to what he will do when he returns and finds that you haven't had the girl all these years"

He apparated out of the manor. Draco's father sent him and Graham back to Hogwarts through the fireplace…

~Aria~

Aria was waiting outside the Beauxbatons carriage. She had a hood over her head in case Ethan or her uncle showed up to Hogwarts under the guise of meeting with Graham. Ben was leaving Hogsmeade, looking very angry. She hurried over to him. Seeing her, he embraced her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Aria, where have you been? You were gone and—I heard you in the mountains. What happened?"

She brought him over to the lake and explained what had happened to her at her aunt's manor. He looked surprised when she mentioned biting Victoria.

"I can't believe you did that"

"Me either"

Turning around, she saw Draco. She stopped Ben from hurting him. Draco was no threat to either of them. He did not even acknowledge Ben, simply looking at her. Ben refused when he asked to speak to her privately. Aria told Ben to keep a lookout for any suspicious people. Shooting Draco a small glare, he walked away from them, standing near the Beauxbatons carriage.

"The answer's no"

"You can't let Victoria die"

"Actually, I can. Give it three days and that's it. It's a not a problem for me. Death is a natural part of life"

She suppressed a laugh when he suggested that if she gave him her blood, he could lie to his father that he got it from her but then she escaped again. No one with even half a brain would believe that Draco ever beat her in a duel. He had gotten better with her lessons but he was nowhere as good as her. She was not swayed by his argument that Victoria did not deserve to die because she had no part in Aria's capture. There had been no reason to kill her mother years ago but his father and the other death eaters saw nothing wrong with doing it.

"Don't do this. I just need a little vial of blood. If you let her die, you're no better than them"

"Why would I do you any favors? You didn't help me. You just stood there. I bet it gave you a lot of satisfaction to see them torture me like that. Some kind of retribution for me just exposing your infidelities and costing your family money, which they mostly got from stepping on other people"

"I didn't know that they had you. I knew you were missing and that's it. I'm sorry that they hurt you. No one should be put through that but you were fine the entire time"

"So that makes it all okay in your mind, right? They had me trapped in that cave for weeks with no food or water"

"What did you want me to do, Collins? Duel all of them? I'd stand no chance"

"You could've made some kind of distraction and undid the chains. You could've told Ben where I was so he could have stopped them. I'll admit that I've done some horrible things to you because I wanted to hurt your father for what he did to my family. I'll even admit that before you found out the truth about me and started being such an enormous git to me, you were my friend"

Draco looked at her, surprised. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Like I told you that night Orion hurt you in Hogsmeade, somewhere deep inside you is a decent person. That's why I thought you would help me. A good person would help their friend when they're in trouble. It's not that complicated. I protected you from Orion all summer because you were my friend"

"I didn't" he started.

Tears brimmed her eyes. "I don't know what you saw from that memory potion but it must've been pretty bad because you wouldn't even look at me for days. I think you saw exactly why am I this way and what your father did to my family. If you ever considered me a friend, you wouldn't be asking me to save Victoria. You would understand that all I want is my family back. Why do you deserve two loving parents and I can't even have one? If having my father with me means that Victoria dies, I don't care. Maybe I'm being selfish but I deserve to be after years of being alone because of them"

"You don't know that your aunt will get him released"

"She will because she's a mother and she can't stand the thought of losing her children. If she is anything like my mother, she'll do whatever it takes to keep Victoria safe. Maybe you're right though. Elyse could just let Victoria die but then that burden is on her, not me. You're not my friend anymore. What happened to me today will never happen again. You can tell your father that yourself and stay the hell away from me"

Aria walked past him, heading over to Ben. He put his arm around her shoulders, offering to bring her to the Three Broomsticks to take her mind off of this tragic day.

"Your necklace is missing"

"My cousin Ethan threw it in the fireplace"

"Don't worry about it. I'll get you an even prettier one right now"

As they headed down to Hogsmeade, she leaned against Ben and felt Draco's eyes on her…

* * *

**A/N: The scene where Aria is surrounded by her captors references a scene in a previous chapter where Aria was taking her Divinations final. In the crystal ball, she had seen herself tied up and surrounded by masked figures. Aria's argument with Draco over Victoria's fate gives good insight into her character. Deep down, Aria just wants her family. She has been alone for a long time and with her mother gone, her father is her only true family left. In a way, she is envious that Draco has his two parents, despite what his father had done in the past, while her own father is stuck in Azkaban for simply protecting her from Voldemort. The only other family she has does not even view her as real family. They only see her as a pawn for Voldemort's plans. There is discord in that part of the family as well, which is shown when Ethan argues with their grandfather about his control over their lives, deciding if they are "good enough" to be shifters. He even taunts that Aria, who is practically disowned by the family, is the strong shifter that her grandfather wants to carry on his bloodline. **

**When it comes to her relationship with Draco, it is significant that Aria admits that she considered him a friend. She hates his father but she saw some good in him. An interesting point is that she could easily bitten Draco, as a way to really hurt his father, but she chose to bite Victoria. The reason that Aria is angry at him for not at least trying to help her is because she is a very loyal person. She is willing to do anything for a friend even if it puts her at risk. When he learned the truth about Aria after they fell through that portal, he struggled with it and he still does now because she was his friend but at the same time, she betrayed him. **


	33. An Overprotective Dad

Aria and Ben spent the rest of the day in Hogsmeade. They retrieved her wand from the cave, where it had been left in the dirt. At a jewelry shop, he bought her a new necklace. It had a wolf pendant with diamonds for eyes. She wanted to forget everything that happened over the last few hours but he made that difficult. Whenever she tried to change the subject, he would steer it back towards her torture at the hands of her uncle. He asked her hundreds of questions, including how her uncle had figured out she was alive and what they did to her. It was similar to how Aria acted about Riven. While Ben had been the one to avoid the subject, she wanted to know more answers. She eventually gave up, believing that he was not going to let it go until they talked about it. Ben seemed surprised when she mentioned almost breaking the invisible shield around the cave with just wandless magic. She pretended to be offended that he thought she was a weak witch.

Unlike Draco, who wanted her to immediately save Victoria, Ben understood her reasonings for biting her older cousin. He knew that she had years of pent-up anger towards her father's side of the family, especially her aunt. She was reluctant that her aunt would give into her demands, despite the risk of losing her daughter, but Ben assured her that even a horrible woman like Elyse could not bare to see her children in pain. They were sitting on a bench outside Honeyduke's, sharing a box of cauldron cakes. Ben had his arm around her waist.

"Did they say why they captured you? I mean, do they really think…you know who is coming back?"

Aria shrugged. "They seemed pretty sure of it. I think they were just so spooked by the Dark Mark at the World Cup that they wanted me as insurance. If he did come back and I wasn't with them, I don't think he'd just pat them on the head and say that they would do a better job next time"

"What do you think about it? You think he's not really dead?"

"Things have been really weird lately. It's possible"

"Why did he want you so badly? He could get a shifter anywhere"

"I told you about my portal ability, Ben. From what my mother told me, he wanted an impressionable mind. It's easier to manipulate a child than a grown adult like my father. Portals are really useful. There are all kinds of worlds that most of us never see…like _Dark Haven_. Think of what kind of magic is in those lands"

"I don't want you to worry about him. I'll always protect you. You are never going to be in their hands as long as I'm here"

She kissed his cheek and leaned her head on his shoulder. As it started to get dark outside, they decided to return to the castle. She stopped near Hagrid's cabin, telling Ben that she wanted to visit her aunt. Ben was immediately against the idea. He worried that her aunt would set up a trap and Aria would get captured again. She did not listen to his pleas to just stay at Hogwarts, creating a portal. Stepping through the portal, she landed in outside her aunt's manor. She snuck through a window and walked along the hallway. Her aunt and Graham were sitting in the kitchen, both looking distraught. She regretted putting Graham through this situation. He, Alec, and Rebekah never knew about the problems their parents caused for Aria and her parents. At Hogwarts, he was always kind to her. She almost did not go through with her plan but repeatedly told herself that all fights had their costs.

Aria leaned against the doorway, watching her aunt wipe her eyes with a handkerchief. She told Graham to accept that Victoria would be dead soon. He insisted that there had to be another cure for the bite besides Aria's blood.

"Sadly, there isn't. I'm the only cure"

Both of them turned their heads towards the door. Graham looked relieved, thinking Aria had arrived to heal Victoria. Her aunt's eyes narrowed and she stood up from the table, clenching her fists in anger.

"Are you here to gloat? Your father would be doing that right now if he was in your place" she said, viciously.

Aria grabbed a glass from the counter. Biting into her wrist, she let blood drip into the glass. She flicked her wand, casting a charm. The outside of the glass emitted a faint green glow.

"My conscious was nagging at me. I made a really compelling argument to myself to let Victoria die but my mother always taught me a sense of honor and family. Unlike you, I stick to those beliefs"

She placed the glass on the table. Graham reached for it but was repelled by a small circular shield.

"You're not getting it yet. I'm giving you a choice, Elyse. Get my father out of Azkaban…or Victoria dies. As soon as he's released, the charm on this glass will lift and you can give her my blood"

Her aunt scoffed. "You _are_ an insolent brat. I will not be blackmailed by a child"

"Then I hope you have enough dresses for five funerals. I'll wait a week until Victoria dies then I'll go after one of your other children. Maybe Graham will be next…or Rebekah...I'm not very picky. You can even choose yourself. Which child do you like the least? I peg you as the type of parent who has a favorite"

"Mother, just do what she wants. Uncle Aaron doesn't deserve to be there" whispered Graham, pleading with her aunt.

Aria watched her aunt slowly boil with rage. She was furious over the fact that a teenage girl had power over her. Her eyes flickered between Graham's desperate expression and the glass filled with Aria's blood.

"If I do release your father, you aren't going to see him. You'll stay here where I can offer you protection"

Aria stifled a laugh. "Protection? The same protection you gave my mother when you led the death eaters straight to her six years ago? I think I'll pass. My mother believed in the good of everyone but I'm a little bit harder to trust. I see you for the manipulative bitch you are, Elyse"

"If the Dark Lord does indeed return and you are not with us, he won't be pleased"

"I fail to see how that is my problem. I'd have my father to protect me"

"Aaron couldn't even do that the first time"

"Because you framed him for a crime he didn't commit. You live such a hollow life, Elyse. All you are is a trophy wife who does everything she's told because she's too weak to stand up for herself. That's the difference between us. You want the please the men in your life but I don't give a damn what people think of me. Since you don't consider me family, let me return the favor. If we find ourselves in a similar situation as today, I will make your children disappear and you'll feel exactly how my father felt when he thought I was gone for good. You pushed my mother around but you are very mistaken if you think I'll fall for your lies. I told your husband not to underestimate me and you should take the same warning. I guess I'll know your decision if, in three days, I find an obituary for Victoria in the _Daily Prophet_"

Aria left the manor. She eavesdropped on the ensuing conversation between her aunt and Graham. He called her foolish for not accepting Aria's demands. Her aunt countered that she swore allegiance to Voldemort over twenty years ago. She insulted Aria by calling her the offspring of, in her words, her traitorous brother and his mudblood-loving wife. Someone grabbed her arm and out of instinct, she turned around, pointing her wand at them. Her wand was pressed against Graham's throat.

"I figured you were listening to us. My mother didn't mean that"

"Trust me, she did"

"She won't let Victoria die over some rivalry with your father. I know she'll do the right thing"

"I wouldn't be so sure but life can be full of surprises"

She left through the large iron gates that surrounded the manor and created a portal to return to Hogwarts.

The next morning, Aria had to deal with everyone freaking out about her sudden reappearance. She was immediately barraged by the professors, checked for any injuries or signs of mental damage. When Dumbledore questioned her about her disappearance, she lied that she did not know who kidnapped her. She thought up a cover story, claiming to have been locked in a dark room. Faking a letter from her mother, she made the professors believe that the abductor was a disgruntled customer who was angry over her mother's refusal to sell any potions involved with dark magic. Only Ben and Draco knew the truth about what happened to her. Her friends all showed concern for her safety. They did not want her to walk anywhere alone, even to the bathroom.

Draco had listened to Aria's request from yesterday, not speaking or looking at her. She noticed a few small glances during breakfast and Herbology but simply ignored him. Harry and Ron had to practically pry Hermione off of her when she met with them for Care of Magical Creatures.

"Aaron, we were so worried. It's my fault. I should've stayed with you when I noticed you were getting sick again"

"Hermione, things happen"

"How can you be so calm? You were locked in some dirty basement for weeks. You could've been killed"

"Well as you can see, I am in one piece. What did I miss?"

While Hagrid, who returned to teaching, gave a lesson on unicorns, she was told about events that occurred over the past three weeks. Cedric had given Harry a clue about the second task, telling him to take his egg for a bath. When Harry put the egg in the bathtub in the prefects' bathroom, it sang a song. The song was about retrieving something from the Black Lake near the merpeople's kingdom. After figuring out part of the clue, he left the bathroom and almost got caught by Snape. Moody saved him, seeing Harry under his invisibility cloak, and the two professors had a tense conversation. Harry learned that Moody had searched Snape's office recently. Though Harry and Ron were concerned with figuring out why Moody was suspicious of Snape, Aria was more interested in the fact that Harry spotted Crouch on the Marauder's Map. She tied a rope around the neck of a small unicorn.

"I thought Crouch has been sick. He's supposedly too ill to do his job at the Ministry but he can sneak into Snape's office in the middle of the night?"

"Who cares about that, Aaron? What do you think Moody meant by Dumbledore giving Snape a second chance?"

"Maybe he got into some trouble when he was younger. I could ask him about it when we're brewing potions. Sometimes, we have very deep conversations…like who is the most annoying kid in our year. He kept saying it was you, Harry, but I defended you. I said you just have one of those faces"

Ron sniggered into his sleeve. Harry looked at her, strangely.

"One of those faces?"

"Yea, the ones where you just immediately think they're annoying but once you get to know them, they're okay"

"Maybe you have one of those too" he replied.

"Let's be honest. This face could make flowers bloom"

After putting the unicorns back in their paddock, they walked up to the castle for lunch. Owls were flying around the Great Hall, dropping off copies of the _Daily Prophet_. Everyone, including students and teachers, looked very shocked. Adrian showed the newspaper to people at the Slytherin table. The front page bore the following article: _Aaron Collins Released From Azkaban_. Aria's heart nearly leapt out of her chest. She scanned the article, not wanting to miss a single world. The article reported that evidence had been found that cleared her father's name in the crime that sent him to Azkaban. Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, gave permission for his release. There were dozens of quotes, most of them praising the decision because they never believed her father committed any crime. A few people believed he was still guilty and deserved to be locked up in Azkaban for life. They were suspicious of the evidence appearing out of thin air. Her grandfather gave a brief statement, pretending to be pleased by the news.

A screech owl landed on top of Aria's empty plate. It had a letter tied to its leg. Recognizing her father's handwriting, she grabbed the letter and fed the owl a treat. She opened the letter under the table. Her father had been released early this morning. He was currently staying in their old house. Aria could not even remember where she lived before her father had been sent to Azkaban and her mother went into hiding. Her mother had once mentioned that the house belonged to her great-grandfather, who left it to her father in his will, along with all of his fortune. It was one of the many issues that caused tension between her father and Elyse. Being the oldest child, Elyse thought that she deserved those things but Aria's great-grandfather showed favoritism to her father. Aria could barely contain her smile when her father asked to meet tonight for dinner. Since he did not want to put her at risk, he suggested that they go to a restaurant in the muggle world, providing her with the address. She sent back a reply and watched the owl leave the Great Hall.

"Hey beautiful"

Ben sat next to her at the Slytherin table. People were too busy discussing the front page article to notice him.

"I saw the _Daily Prophet_. It looks like you won"

"I can't believed she actually did it. He sent me a letter. He wants to meet me for dinner"

"That's great. Are you nervous?"

"A little. I don't even remember what he looks like. I have that old picture but that was from fourteen years ago"

"I wouldn't worry about that. When you see him, you'll just know"

She overheard Pansy boasting to Daphne, Millicent, and Tracey about a family brunch over the weekend. Draco had attended it with her. She went on and on about how her family adored him and wanted them to get married one day. Ben rolled his eyes, hearing her wedding talk.

"Is it sad that I feel a little bad for him?"

"How come I've never met your family?"

He choked on his pumpkin juice and looked at her, confused. "You mean my grandparents?"

"Yea. I know I'm not an expert on the whole dating thing but we've been going out for like two months. Isn't that what couples do? Unless you don't want them to meet me because you think they won't like me"

"No, they wouldn't—Aria, they would love you. It's just…they're always busy with work or on some kind of business trip"

"Come with me to meet my dad"

"W—what? I don't think that's a good idea"

"Why not? This is really special to me and I want you to be there because you're my boyfriend. Please?" she asked, pouting.

Reluctantly, Ben agreed to attend the dinner. She assumed he was simply nervous about meeting her father. During her afternoon Divinations class, she barely paid attention to the lesson or Trelawney's strange predictions. All she could think about was meeting her father for the first time. She always hoped to see him out of Azkaban but never believed it would be an actual reality. After class, she snuck out to the Beauxbatons carriages to wait for Ben. She had removed the disguising charms and checked her appearance in the windows. Her uniform had been replaced with a long-sleeved lace dress with a sweetheart neckline and black ankle boots. She tousled her hair a couple times. Ben walked over to her, wearing a dress shirt with black slacks.

"Do I look okay? Is this too much? Maybe I should change into"

He kissed her and smiled. "You look beautiful. Don't be nervous"

She created a portal that led them to the restaurant in the muggle world. They landed in an alley in London. As they walked to the restaurant, Ben kept his arm around her, glaring at guys and even grown men who made obscene comments or gestures towards her.

"It's times like this that I kind of like not being a girl all the time"

"They're pigs. Ignore them"

They entered the expensive restaurant and Aria, remembering her father's instructions, gave the name Collins to the maitre'd. The maitre'd led them to a private room at the back of the restaurant. Aria reached for the door handle but stopped herself, her nerves overcoming her body.

"Forget it. We can just—I'll tell him I got sick"

"Aria, I promise everything will be fine. You've wanted to see him for the past fourteen years and now's your chance"

She took a couple deep breaths and opened the door. Her father stood up from the table. He looked like a mix of her grandparents, having her grandmother's dark brown hair and her grandfather's chocolate brown eyes. She had expected him to be like Sirius, who was still dirty and disheveled after months of being away from Azkaban. In the few hours since he had been released, he cleaned himself very nicely. She honestly thought he looked the same as he did in that old photo. Before she could even process what was happening, he embraced her in a warm hug. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She felt like an idiot for crying but could not help it. They did not need to have any dinner. Just being this close to him was enough to make her happy.

He cupped her face with his hands. "You've grown up so much, Aria. Your mother would send me pictures all the time but it's not the same as seeing you in person. You look just like her"

"I hear that a lot"

"I promise that I will never leave you again. Nothing is going to keep us apart"

Her father noticed Ben standing awkwardly by the doorway with his hands in his pockets. She grabbed Ben's hand, bringing him over to the table.

"This is Ben. We're kind of…dating. I wanted him to come too"

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Collins. You wouldn't even know that you've been in Azkaban for years. I didn't mean—I'm going to shut up before I say something else stupid"

"He's your—he knows about you?"

"It's okay, Dad. Ben's a shifter like us. He wouldn't tell anyone about me. He's even been helping me with learning more about shifter stuff"

There was some tension between her father and Ben. Wanting to change the subject, she suggested that they sit at the table for dinner. It felt strange talking to her father about Hogwarts and her classes. Aria hesitantly mentioned being captured and tortured. Her father was confused about how they learned that she was still alive. She explained the summoning spell with Riven and his fight with her at Hogwarts last year.

"I think he told them. He must have figured out I was alive by that summoning spell"

"Riven Jones?"

Aria nodded, cutting a piece of chicken. "Have you seen him in person?" he asked.

"Nope, just his wolf form"

"I knew him when he was a boy. He was always a little troublemaker. I thought his grandparents were keeping an eye on him. I don't want you to worry about that side of our family or Lucius. Now that I'm released, they'll know better than to come near you again"

"I think I scared them. You should've seen me smack down Ethan"

Her father asked Ben a few questions. Aria heard a hint of distrust in his voice. Ben talked about attending Beauxbatons. When her father questioned why he did not go to Hogwarts, Ben explained that he lost his parents at a young age and needed to live with his grandparents in France.

"What was your last name again?"

"Dolon, sir"

"I've never heard of a shifter bloodline with that name"

"We're pretty much extinct. The Ministry wiped a lot of us out during the war with you know who. Since then, we've kept a low profile. Aria's the first shifter I've met besides my grandfather"

Aria heard a buzzing sound. Ben reached into his pocket and took out a small mirror. He apologized, telling them that one of his friends was asking for homework help with Ancient Runes. The mirrors allowed for two-way communications. He excused himself from the room.

"Isn't he great? I mean, I was kind of annoyed with him at first but once we got to know each other…"

"Aria, how much do you really know about this boy? You seem to be moving very fast for only knowing each other since August"

"A lot. We talk all the time. Why?"

Her father was wary of Ben's backstory. As a child, her grandfather forced him to study all of the wizarding bloodlines that contained shifters. Ben's last name did not sound familiar to him. Aria passed it off as her father forgetting a few names while being trapped in Azkaban.

"Dad, he just told us that most of them were killed by the Ministry. It's not like they're going to wear a giant sign around their necks saying _I'm a shifter_"

"Just promise me that you'll be careful around him"

"Dad, he wouldn't hurt me. I trust Ben"

"You care very much about him, don't you?"

She blushed. "I guess…I mean, it's not like—I've been hiding as a guy for so long that feeling like a girl is weird. He makes me happy"

"It won't be like that forever. I want you to finish your year at Hogwarts and then we'll decide what to do when you return for the summer"

Ben returned to the room and they finished dinner. After a quick dessert, her father hugged her goodbye. They used a portal to get back to the castle. Ben apologized for the interruption at dinner. His friends were used to relying on him when doing homework. They reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room.

"You never told me that your ancestors were killed by the Ministry"

"It's kind of a morbid topic"

"I know. It's just—my father thought it was weird. He said he knows every shifter bloodline and yours didn't sound familiar"

Ben grabbed her wrist roughly, turning her towards him. She was taken aback by his sudden anger.

"Why are you interrogating me? You're seriously going to believe your father over me? He was in a jail cell for fourteen years. He's probably paranoid about everyone"

"I didn't say I believed him"

"Well it sounds like you do"

"Ben, I didn't mean to get you mad. You're hurting my arm"

He let go of her wrist. "Aria, I'm sorry. I didn't—you know how shifters can get with sudden mood swings. I don't really like discussing my family and it sets me off a bit"

"I shouldn't have brought it up. My dad's just looking out for me. I should get started on my Herbology essay"

"I'll see you later" he said, pecking her cheek.

She entered the common room, relieved that everyone else was still in the Great Hall. Going up to her room, she found her Herbology book and sat on her bed. She rubbed her wrist in pain, seeing a large bruise…

* * *

**A/N: I always planned for Aria's father to be released from Azkaban at some point in the story. While she is obviously happy that he's back in her life, she also struggles with the idea of him being around. In this chapter, she is shown being nervous because she has gotten used to him not being in her life. She is not sure what to expect when she meets him after all these years. Within one night, he's gone into overprotective mode, especially over her relationship with Ben. A few reviews have commented on Ben and if he can be trusted or not. Her father has his suspicions but I won't say if they are right or if it is just her father being protective of her. It should be noted that Aria has definitely fallen for Ben. She is not used to having such strong feelings and it does make her a bit naive at times. In a way, love can make a person blind. Towards the end of the chapter, when he grabs her wrist, she feels like it is her fault for provoking him. If it had been someone else, she probably would have hit them back or gotten angry with them. There ****_will_**** be definite answers regarding Ben and his feelings for Aria. One thing to remember for the next chapter is that Ben can get very jealous of the attention guys give to Aria, shown at the Yule Ball and in this chapter. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	34. Repaired Friendship

Having her father back in her life had been better than Aria ever imagined. When she was a little girl, she always thought about the day that he would be released from Azkaban and return home so they could be the perfect family with him, Aria, and her mother. Though he could not be near her at Hogwarts, they still kept in close contact through daily letters, sometimes twice per day. After curfew, she would meet with her father at their old house and he told her stories about his adventures at the school. She lied to her Slytherin friends that she was simply going to the Gryffindor common room every night to help Ron and Harry study for an upcoming test in Transfiguration. Her argument with Ben led to her attempting to convince her father that he was trustworthy. Similar to Aria, her father could be quite stubborn, sticking with his own beliefs about Ben. He warned her not to tell Ben where she was meeting him. With his release being met with both praise and criticism, he wanted some privacy.

Besides reminiscing about old school days, her father was beginning to teach her more about her ability to create portals. He proved to be far more advanced than her. Aria was amazed by his stories about traveling to other lands. He had become so skilled in creating portals that he did not even need create a physical portal. Instead, he would vanish in a flash of bright light. He explained the origins of the portal ability that ran through very few wizarding bloodlines. The first person capable of magic had gained it after saving a fairy tribe from an augurey, a vulture-looking bird that fed on fairies and sung if it sensed impending rain. Fairies would move around by a similar flash of light, creating small portals. The portals were so tiny that they were invisible to the human eye. As a reward for his bravery, the fairies gave him the ability to do magic like them, including the portals. Showing off his newfound powers, it caused humans to get greedy and want magical for themselves. As the number of wizards grew, the magic of the fairies weakened considerably. The ability to create portals became less prominent with each new generation of wizards. In ancient times, almost every wizard could do it but it was now so rare that wizards today thought it was an old myth. The enchantment to create portkeys derived from this special magic.

Her father learned how to hone his skills through lessons by her great-grandfather, who could also create portals. Their close relationship was strengthened by this shared ability. Voldemort's obsession with her father and then Aria was due to an encounter in his fifth year. Her great-grandfather had been visiting Dumbledore and the old headmaster Armando Dippet at Hogwarts during the Christmas holidays. The teenage Voldemort was helping Dippet organize his files and overheard their conversation about her great-grandfather's travels to another land. Not knowing about his true nature, he told Voldemort about his portal magic. It instantly peaked his interest and he asked all kinds of questions, mainly about learning how to create portals. Her great-grandfather crushed his hopes by revealing that the ability could only be inherited, not taught. Voldemort searched for any other wizards with portal magic, watching Aria's family closely. He had not found one until Elyse told him about her father to impress him. Late at night in the common room, Aria began to practice some of her father's tips late but had no success yet.

Aria was waiting outside the Potions classroom with Harry and Hermione. They watched Ron tell a thrilling story to a group of girls. A week ago, the second task of the Triwizard Tournament had occurred at the Black Lake. It turned out that the champions each had to rescue someone special to them within the time limit of an hour. The so-called treasures were placed under a sleeping curse. Harry, being the typical hero, tried to save everyone down at the lake and ended up rescuing both Ron and Fleur's little sister Gabrielle. Despite being the last champion out of the water, the judges gave him second place for his moral fiber. Ron enjoyed his time in the limelight and made up a wild version of what happened in the lake. His stories ranged from being placed under enchanted sleep to Ron singlehandedly fighting off mermaids. Padma, who had avoided Ron since their disastrous date at the Yule Ball, was now listening to him, captivated by his supposed fearlessness.

"Do they honestly believe him? His stories are getting more ridiculous by the day" said Hermione.

While Ron was loving the attention, Hermione was annoyed by the constant teasing for being the person that Viktor would miss for the second task. Aria had to listen to hours of complaints from the Slytherin girls. They insulted Hermione's looks and accused her of using love potions to get Viktor interested in her. The Slytherins were walking down the corridor, laughing hysterically. Pansy was holding a copy of _Witch Weekly_. She tossed the magazine at Hermione, telling her that she would find an interesting article.

Aria peered over Hermione's shoulder as she flipped through the magazine. Hermione stopped at a Rita Skeeter article titled _Harry Potter's Secret Heartache_. Skeeter, exaggerating as usual, claimed that there was a love triangle brewing between Harry, Hermione, and Viktor. She made Harry seem like he was deeply infatuated with Hermione, who gave his tragic soul hope in his sad life. Hermione had been described as a two-timing girlfriend, toying with both Harry and Viktor's affections. Like other Skeeter articles, some Slytherins, including Pansy, had given quotes about the situation. Aria found it suspicious that they could give these interviews though she had never seen any of them with Skeeter. At the end of the article, it mentioned that Hermione might also be involved with "Aaron", one of the heartthrobs at Hogwarts, who was in a relationship with Daphne. Aria stared at the last few sentences of the article, unsure whether she should be disgusted or confused.

"I told you! I told you not to annoy Rita Skeeter. She's made you out to be some sort of—of scarlet woman!" hissed Ron.

Hermione giggled. "Scarlet woman?"

"It's what my mum calls them. She's made it look like you're in some love pentagon"

Snape opened the door and beckoned them into the classroom. Aria walked over to her table with Blaise and Theodore. She turned around, looking at Daphne.

"So I must have really bad amnesia because I don't remember ever asking you to be my girlfriend or to go on a date. Do I have a secret twin brother who you've been seeing all this time?"

Hiding her blushing cheeks behind her Potions book, she claimed that Skeeter was known for spreading rumors. She suggested that Skeeter could have seen them together and misinterpreted their close friendship as a romantic relationship. Aria did not believe one word out of her mouth.

"I'll pretend to believe that. How are you guys giving her these interviews?"

"We uh see her late at night. She sneaks into the castle and asks us questions. You're never there because you're with the Gryffindors" said Blaise, avoiding eye contact.

"And you don't care about telling complete lies?"

"Come on, that article is funny. No one's going to seriously believe Granger is trying to seduce you, mate"

"That's not the point"

She ignored them, focusing her attention on the wit-sharpening potion. In the middle of class, Snape embarassed Harry and Hermione when he heard them talking about the article. He proceeded to read the article to the entire class. The Slytherins struggled to hold in their laughter as Snape insulted Harry, implying that Harry enjoyed the press attention. He separated the trio, putting Hermione at the same table as Pansy and Daphne and Harry at an empty table in front of Snape's desk. Aria could hear Snape accuse Harry of stealing from his storeroom. During one of their nightly potions sessions, he had mentioned that some ingredients were missing, including boomslang skin and gillyweed. Dobby had stolen the gillyweed for Harry to use in the second task but Aria knew he had not taken the boomslang skin, an ingredient for polyjuice potion. Remembering how Crouch had been in Snape's office, she suspected that he was in under disguise. Snape threatened that if Harry stole ingredients again, he would slip veritaserum into his juice during breakfast.

Towards the end of the lesson, Karkaroff entered the classroom. He hovered behind Snape's desk, watching him shrewdly. After Snape inspected all of their potions, criticizing everyone but Aria, he discussed their assignment for the next lesson on Tuesday. In pairs, they would either imagine an advanced version of a potion or an entirely new potion and compose an essay that included its ingredients, effects, and benefits. For extra credit, the potion could be made then tested in front of the entire class. He conjured a piece of parchment, reading off the assigned pairs. Most of the class looked over at Aria, hoping to get her as a partner. Theodore nearly banged his head on the table, hearing that he was paired with Ron.

"And our last pair…Malfoy, Shaw. Leave those vials at your tables for grading"

As everyone packed their belongings and left the classroom, Aria immediately went over to Snape. Harry was still at his desk, taking a long time to clean up spilled armadillo bile. Snape and Karkaroff spoke in hushed whispers. Karkaroff stopped lifting his sleeve, his eyes on Aria.

"Can I help you, Shaw?"

"Yes, you can, sir. I would like a new partner"

"That will not be possible"

"It's very easy. Just switch up two pairs. I will gladly partner with Neville and Malfoy can work with Hannah"

"Your pairing was done purposely"

Aria looked at him, confused. Snape explained that he had noticed the tension between Aria and Draco over the past few weeks. He doubted that he could get them to talk about it like mature adults and decided to pair them on this assignment to get them to work through their issues. Being their head of house, he did not want any fighting between housemates. He refused to give her a new partner.

"Accept it, Shaw"

"Fine. I will have Malfoy as my partner. I would just like you to remember that you should never be on my bad side"

"I will see you in class on Tuesday"

"I hope you can swim really well"

"Excuse me?" he asked, bewildered.

"Oh, you heard me. If you still haven't changed your mind by dinner, things might get a little…fishy"

She left the classroom and headed to the Great Hall. During dinner, everyone was talking about the latest Skeeter article. Girls kept pointing to Hermione, speaking in hushed whispers and giggling. Under her bushy hair, her cheeks were bright red. Aria kept sneaking glances at the teachers' table. She waited for Snape to walk over and assign her a new Potions partner. As she grabbed a brownie from the dessert tray, Draco sat in front of her.

"What part of stay away makes no sense to you?" she asked.

"We're partners, Collins. I'm not going to get a failing grade because you're being a brat" he hissed.

"I am not working with you, Malfoy. I talked to Snape and he's going to give me a different partner"

"Are you kidding?"

"No. I'd rather work with Neville and risk losing my eyebrows than work with you for even a minute"

"Precisely why you two need to work together"

Snape was standing behind her. Her fists clenched, hearing him again refuse to change their partners.

"I see that you will not change your decision, sir. Just remember, I can be a great friend or your worst enemy. I'll let you figure out which one of those I am to you"

Aria left the Great Hall. She slipped past Peeves, going down to Snape's office. Taking out her wand, she cast a couple enchantments. His office began to fill with water. She conjured piranhas and shut the door. Opening the dungeons door, she felt someone grab her arm. She glared, seeing Draco.

"Stop being a baby. We're going to work on this assignment now"

Despite her protests, he dragged her into the library. He forced her to sit down at a table in the corner and grabbed his Potions book from his bag. She leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. He made various suggestions for the assignment. She did not answer him, keeping her eyes on her lap. Suddenly, her chair was thrown back. Aria cast a quick freezing charm to stop her from hitting the floor. She jumped up from the chair and growled at him.

"You could make your eyes turn bright red but you're not going to scare me off, Collins"

"We get through this one project and then you go back to not bothering me"

Flipping through his book, she looked for the best potion for the assignment. She was interested in creating a new potion, sure that it would impress Snape.

"You were mine too" she heard Draco mutter.

"What?"

"The day you got away from Graham's house, you said that I was your friend before everything got all crazy. You were my friend too"

"We're not talking about this right now"

He closed the book. "Yes, we are. You get to talk all the time but now it's my turn. Do you even know what I was feeling when I found out the truth about you? At first, I didn't even think about how you had been trying to ruin my family. I felt…betrayed that you kept such a big secret from me. I know you couldn't tell anyone because you were in hiding but it still hurt. I mean, I told you about Orion beating me up and that was a huge secret"

Aria stared at him. She did not expect him to be this genuine. Usually, Draco bottled up his emotions and kept things to himself. The only other time he had been so open to her was during their first dueling lesson where he told her about Orion.

"I'll tell you another one. You're still my friend" he admitted.

"Malfoy"

"Let me finish. I know I was treating you like dirt when I first found out. I was really angry and didn't know what to do. It was a lot to take in at once. When I saw your memories from that potion, I realized how bad you've really had it and I probably made it worse. You really piss me off sometimes and you need to work on not being so blunt with people...seriously, you need some kind of filter on that mouth but I like that about you. Most people are just nice to me because of my family's reputation and I know they're either scared or want to kiss up to me. When you say something, I know you're being honest"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want it to go back to how it was before everything went bad. I don't think you hate me as much as you say you do. If you did, you would've let Orion beat me into a coma the night he attacked me"

She sighed. "Let's call it a trial run. If you don't annoy me for an entire day, then we can be friends again"

The doors burst open and Snape entered the library, completely soaked. There were small cuts on his hands and nose. Spotting Aria, he shouted her name. He stomped towards their table, ignoring Pince as she reminded him to not yell in the library. Aria's face paled, remembering her little revenge plan on Snape. He removed a piranha from his pocket and made it vanish with a flick of his wand.

"Would you like to hear what I discovered in my office, Shaw?"

"Sir, we're a little busy with our potions assignment. I should go look for"

"Do not move a muscle. When I opened the door, I found my office filled to the ceiling with water and I was attacked by piranhas. Do you know who would do such a thing?" he asked, peering down at her.

It sounded like a rhetorical question. Snape was obviously certain that she was the person behind the prank. She was prepared for the worst punishment.

"I saw who did it, professor. It was a group of third year Ravenclaws. They said that they wanted to pull a prank like the Weasley twins" said Draco.

"You're sure of this, Malfoy?"

"Why would I lie, sir? I didn't get a good look at them but I recognized their uniforms"

Snape mumbled to himself, saying something about foolish Ravenclaws. He left the library, a stream of water trailing behind him.

"You knew it was me"

"Obviously. You were mad at him for making us partners. You could've waited at least a day before you pranked him. Typical of you, Collins…doing something without thinking"

Aria smacked his shoulder with the book. He smirked at her. She felt slightly grateful that he covered for her prank. The rest of their time spent in the library was not as tense. She slowly warmed up to him as they discussed the assignment. They decided to create a new potion that mimicked emotions like happiness, sadness, and anger. A single ingredient change would make the person feel a specific emotion. As she figured out the ingredients, Pince passed by them.

"Did you know Miles comes here every Saturday morning to help Pince organize the books?" asked Draco.

"Why? Is it some kind of punishment?"

"No, he likes to do it. When I was trying to figure out what Ben was, I saw them together. She even lets him call her Irma"

Aria laughed, earning a glare from Pince. "Shut up. That isn't true"

"I'm serious. He's a secret bookworm"

She stifled her laughter, not wanting to get banned from the library. Once Pince disappeared behind the shelves, Aria returned to writing the ingredients.

"Aria, what are you doing?"

Ben walked over to their table. He was looking between her and Draco. Aria told him about the Potions assignment. He did not seem pleased that they were partners.

"It's not that bad. I'll have to do all the work but he can hold the cauldron"

"I wouldn't give me that much responsibility" joked Draco.

She smiled at him for the first time in months. Ben asked to speak to her privately. He pulled her aside, standing near the creatures section.

"What's going on with you two? A few days ago, you would've bashed his face for just looking at you and now you're smiling and laughing with him?"

"We had a talk and I think we could be friends again. I know he can be a git but he's not bad all the time"

"Are you forgetting that his father was torturing you not that long ago?"

"Yea, his father, not him. We can at least give him a chance. I really need to work on this potions assignment, Ben"

"I don't want you alone with him. Ask Snape to give you a different partner…one that's a girl"

"Snape won't budge and I'm okay with it. He's harmless. We're just doing homework. We're not going to start making out on the table"

Aria could feel his grip tighten against her waist. He kissed her forcefully, practically shoving his tongue down her throat. She was used to getting a kiss from him but not while under her disguise as Aaron. It felt very strange. She pushed him away lightly.

"What are you doing?"

"Kissing my girlfriend!"

"Shh, someone might hear you. You can't kiss me when I'm like this, Ben. It'll look weird"

"I have to do some homework too. I'll stay with you"

They returned to the table. Ben conjured his Charms book. She shrugged when Draco looked at her. It was hard to work on their assignment with Ben at the table. He was not doing any actual work, just pretending to read while watching her and Draco. She was relieved when Jory arrived in the library, telling Ben that Maxime needed to see him. He shot a death glare at Draco before following Jory outside.

"What's his problem?"

"Nothing. He doesn't like you. Can you blame him?"

"Does he kiss you like that all the time when you're…like this?"

"No. He just—forget it. I think we're good for now. We can make the potion tomorrow after the Hogsmeade trip. Snape gave me keys to his storeroom so we can get ingredients for the potion and I'll just replace them later"

They headed back to the common room. A group of first years ran past them. One of the boys bumped into her, knocking her bag off of her shoulder. The contents of her bag were all over the floor. Draco helped her to pick up everything. He was holding a small piece of paper.

"Dad's portal tips? Are these from your father? Have you seen him?"

She took the paper from him, hiding it in one of her books. "A few times"

Draco questioned her about portals. He mentioned that his father had told him that she could create portals to travel between this world and other lands. She confessed that she was not an expert at it but her father was giving her lessons.

"He just disappears. It's like apparating but no sound or smoke. It's just a bright light. I can't do it. That's why I have this necklace. It helps me focus my magic when making a portal. I wanted to learn his way because it'd be a lot more useful…in case I get in another bad situation"

"Well, you helped me with dueling so maybe I could help out with this"

"You can't make portals, genius"

"I can tell you if you're doing it right…unless you'd rather have Ben's help"

"Ben doesn't even know about what I'm trying to do. He's been kind of clingy lately and I like having time to myself"

"It's because you're pretty. He thinks you'll ditch him for another guy"

Her eyes widened, hearing him call her pretty. He looked at the paper, not daring to catch her gaze. She closed her eyes, bouncing on her heels.

"What do you see?"

"You bouncing up and down like an idiot"

"Shut up, you git!"

Her skin felt warm. When she opened her eyes, she found herself near the common room entrance. Draco walked over to her. Aria squealed in excitement at her successful attempt and without thinking, she hugged him. She quickly let go, feeling awkward. He was rubbing the back of his neck.

"You um moved a few feet. That's a g—good start. I guess getting angry helps"

"My dad said you tap into your power when you feel strong emotions like anger or fear. It's the first time I did it"

"We should get inside before it's um…the curfew is in a few minutes"

Draco bumped into the wall. He held his nose.

"I uh—forgot the…password"

"Serpent" said Aria.

The wall slid open and she followed him into the common room…

* * *

**Thanks for reading :)**


	35. Sirius Returns

Rita Skeeter's latest article had caused problems for Harry, Aria, and Hermione. Every conversation referenced the article and the so-called love triangle. Harry was getting mixed reactions, ranging from teasing to sympathy. Most students, mainly Slytherins, were teasing him at every opportunity. He could barely leave his room without some guy making a snide comment about his love troubles. Viktor Krum's fan girls insulted him, threatening to hex him if he dared to cross Viktor and humiliate him by supposedly stealing his girl. Other girls treated him like an injured puppy, offering a shoulder to cry on or a date with them to get his mind off of Hermione. The article only seemed to make him more interesting to girls. Aria had to deal with similar problems. It was awkward when girls would come up to her, telling her to be with either Daphne or Hermione for various reasons. She had even gotten into fights with guys that were stupid enough to tease her, taking a different approach from Harry, who chose to ignore all of the taunts.

Out of the three of them, Hermione endured the worst bullying. She was getting viciously insulted by girls at Hogwarts. The girls appeared to believe Pansy's claim about love potions and were cruel to Hermione for toying with two guys. The only one not bothered by the attention was Daphne. Like Harry, she gained sympathy from people. Aria did not understand how anyone could side with her when she and Daphne were never in any kind of relationship. It made her want to ask Dumbledore to have an intelligence requirement for acceptance to Hogwarts as a method to weed out the morons.

Aria was sitting on the bottom steps of the grand staircase with Harry and Hermione. Ron had gone down to the kitchens to get food from the house elves. During their Hogsmeade trip, they would be visiting Sirius, who was hiding somewhere in the village. Harry was telling her about the conversation between Snape and Karkaroff during yesterday's Potions lesson. Karkaroff sounded very tense when speaking to Snape and showed something on his arm. Whatever it was had made Snape anxious.

"What could be on his arm?"

Aria shrugged. "I don't know. We could ask Sirius. It must be bad if it made Snape nervous"

"Maybe it has to do with why Snape needed a second chance from Dumbledore"

"Well if it isn't the stars of the fourth year love triangle"

A group of fifth years, including Cormac, were walking down the staircase. The guys sniggered at Cormac's remark. Aria rolled her eyes. Cormac had been one of the guys teasing her and Harry about the article.

"Are you meeting Greengrass later, Shaw? Or is it going to be a double date with your two girls?"

"Aaron, ignore him" whispered Hermione, disgusted.

Aria stood up, moving in front of the hecklers. Cormac was slightly taller than her and possessed a lot more muscle. While he had strength on his side, he lacked any intelligence. She had seen rats smarter than him.

"You're funny, McLaggen. Why don't we go in that supply closet over there?"

His smirk faltered. Despite his bullying, he knew that Aria was a very advanced witch for her age. He had never gone past verbal taunts, too worried that she might hex him.

"I uh don't want to go in there"

"No, we really should. Come on, let's go"

"J—just get out of my way, Shaw"

"No. Let's go in the closet and you can tell me more of your hilarious jokes about me. It's just a closet. What could I possibly do to you in there?"

Their voices were overlapping as they argued over going into the closet. As they left the Great Hall, people stopped, watching the confrontation.

"I'm sure you have a lot more jokes. Get in there, pal"

"I said get out of my way"

Aria grabbed him by his hair, dragging him into the closet. After five minutes of struggling, where Cormac let out a couple pained groans, she opened the door. She shoved Cormac into the corridor. His shirt was tied around his waist, hanging over his boxers with little quaffles, and his pants had been put over his head. People burst into fits of laughter at the sight. Cormac attempted to get the clothes off but Aria was one step ahead, casting a sticking charm. Embarrassed, he hurried up the staircase, his friends chasing after him.

"Would anyone else like to comment about a certain article? I have no objections to doing the same to every single one of you"

No one replied, just staring at the floor silently. "That's what I thought. Go mind your own business, monkeys"

As they left the castle, she sat back down between Harry and Hermione. Harry was still laughing while Hermione had her head in her hands.

"Aaron, why did you do that?" she asked.

"To shut him up. McLaggen is annoying. Everyone wanted to shut him up but I'm the only one who actually did it"

"You can't do that with everyone who makes a joke. This will all pass within a week"

Ron returned with a box of food. Aria minimized the box and hid it in her bag and they headed down to Hogsmeade. Harry told him about what had happened with Cormac, causing Ron to snigger. After Harry bought a pair of socks for Dobby, as a thank you for helping with the second task, they walked towards the edge of the village, near the path that led to the mountains. Aria tensed up slightly, remembering the last time she had been there. Memories of her imprisonment in the caves flashed through her mind. Sirius, in his animagus form, was waiting at the end of the path, holding old copies of the _Daily Prophet_ in his mouth. Harry greeted him and he sniffed Aria's bag, wagging his tail excitedly. They followed Sirius around the mountains. He led them into a small cave and Aria reluctantly stepped inside, taking slow breaths. She decided to stay near the entrance of the cave, telling the others that she would act as a lookout.

Buckbeak was tethered to a large rock and bowed down to them. Sirius changed back into himself. He was wearing ragged grey robes and his overall appearance, untidy hair and thin frame, reminded her of when she first met him, just a few months after his escape from Azkaban. When Harry gave him the food, he practically scarfed down the chicken. Sirius told them that he had been living off of rats lately since he could not risk being seen by anyone in Hogsmeade. He grinned at Harry and Aria. She managed a weak smile. Harry worried that someone would spot Sirius in the mountains but Sirius assured him that no one here knew about him being an animagus.

Ron unfolded the _Daily Prophets _and passed copies to each of them. The front pages had articles about Crouch's absence due to illness and Bertha Jorkin's disappearance. According to the _Daily Prophet_, Crouch had not been seen since November and no one would comment on the situation. The Ministry, wanting to keep the public calm, refused to confirm that he was in critical condition and St. Mungo's would not comment if he was a patient at the hospital.

"They're making it sound like he's dying. He can't be that ill if he came here" said Harry.

Ron informed Sirius that Percy was Crouch's assistant. Percy explained the absence by saying that Crouch was suffering from excess work. Hermione did not seem very concerned about Crouch's health, thinking it was karma for his treatment of Winky. Sirius was interested in Crouch firing Winky at the World Cup. Aria did not pay attention as Harry recounted the events of the World Cup, including the appearance of the Dark Mark and his wand being found with Winky.

Sirius was pacing back and forth. "Harry, did you check your pockets for your wand after you'd left the Top Box?"

"No. I didn't need to use it before we got in the forest. Why? You think whoever conjured the Mark stole my wand in the Top Box?"

"It's possible"

"Winky didn't steal the wand!" insisted Hermione.

Harry told Sirius about the other people in the Top Box. When he mentioned the Malfoys, Ron immediately jumped to the conclusion that Mr. Malfoy had stolen Harry's wand.

"It wasn't him, Ron" said Aria, speaking up for the first time.

He looked at her. "How do you know?"

"Because when the Dark Mark was cast, he was really tense and quiet. Why would he be like that if he did it?"

"To hide that he did it. It's called acting"

"I was around him for months. He's not that good of an actor" she replied, moving her hand outside into the sunlight.

Sirius was watching her with a concerned expression. He questioned them about other people in the Top Box. Hermione pointed out that Bagman was there, insinuating that he was a possible suspect. Aria and Ron were skeptical of that idea. Bagman did not look like the type to use dark magic. He was a bumbling fool who just used his quidditch fame to move up in the Ministry. Sirius questioned what Crouch did when Winky was found with the wand. Harry explained that Crouch went searching in the bushes.

"He didn't find anyone there"

"Of course. He'd want to pin it on anyone but his own elf…and then he sacked her?"

"Yes, he sacked her just because she hadn't stayed in her tent and let herself get trampled…"

Ron groaned, not wanting to hear Hermione attack Crouch for mistreating a house elf. Sirius defended her, claiming that to understand a person, they should see how the person treats their inferiors, not their equals.

"You never told me he went looking in the bushes" said Aria, looking at Harry.

He shrugged. "Didn't sound important. Why?"

"Who says no one was there? Just because he didn't tell anyone"

"Why wouldn't he, Aaron?"

"Crouch has always been shady. Winky obviously didn't cast the Mark but someone did and you never heard them apparate out of the forest. Maybe he knows who did it and he's hiding it for his own personal gain. I wouldn't put it past him to have his secrets. The Ministry's full of corrupted officials"

"Come off it. Who would he defend for casting the Dark Mark?" asked Ron.

Sirius thought that Aria's theory was plausible. He revealed that Crouch had been the one to send him to Azkaban without a trial. At the time, Crouch was head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and front runner to be the next Minister of Magic. During the first wizarding war, he had been heavily praised for being a strong wizard who heavily opposed Voldemort and made wizarding society feel safe by putting people in Azkaban, even if there was doubt about their involvement with the death eaters. Crouch was power-hungry and used the fear to his advantage, letting aurors kill suspected death eaters instead of the usual capture then question method and even authorizing the use of unforgivable curses. His fortune fell when his own son, Barty Crouch jr., had been caught with a group of death eaters.

Instead of being lenient on his son, he gave him a trial and then sent him straight to Azkaban. Sirius told them that Crouch's son was no older than nineteen at the time and he would scream for his mother every night until he had just gone quiet. Crouch's son died a year after they brought him to Azkaban. It was a common occurrence for prisoners to go insane and lose the will to live. Crouch and his wife visited him on a deathbed visit and shortly after, his wife died from grief. After losing his wife and son, Crouch fell from grace, going from the next Minister of Magic to a dishonored wizard. People blamed Crouch for his son's actions, believing that Crouch never cared about him. With the backlash against him, Fudge received the Minister position and Crouch was placed in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Aria remembered how Harry mentioned Crouch's eyes bulging when he found Winky at the scene of the Dark Mark. Hearing this new information about Crouch, she thought there was more to that story than him being angry at a little house elf.

Harry was telling Sirius about Crouch's obsession with catching dark wizards and how he snuck into Snape's office. It led to an argument between Ron and Hermione over whether Snape could be trusted. Sirius sided with both of them on the issue. He explained how Snape always showed a fascination with dark magic and wanted to be part of a Slytherin gang that all turned out to be death eaters. Despite his talent for dark magic, there was no evidence that he had been an actual death eater though most of them were never caught by the Ministry. Harry brought up the conversation between Snape and Karkaroff but Sirius did not have any answers about what could be on Karkaroff's arm.

"Dumbledore trusts where a lot of people wouldn't but I just can't see him letting Snape teach if he'd ever worked for Voldemort"

"Then why do Moody and Crouch want to get into Snape's office?" asked Ron, disappointed that Sirius was fully on his side about Snape being untrustworthy.

"I wouldn' t put it past Mad-Eye to search every teacher's office. I doubt he trusts anyone at all after all the things he's seen. He was tough but he never descended to the level of the death eaters. Crouch is more important right now. If he's ill, why would he drag himself to Hogwarts? If he's not, what is he really up to and why is he pretending to be sick? Why hasn't been judging the tournament?"

Sirius asked Ron to write to Percy about Crouch and if there are any leads on Bertha Jorkins. The article about Jorkins did not sound very serious, commenting on her poor memory. He had known her at Hogwarts and said that she was dim but always remembered the latest gossip, similar to Daphne.

"You should head back soon. I just want to talk to Aaron alone really quick"

Grabbing her arm, he led her out of the cave. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

"I'm fine. I hate when you look at me like that"

"You haven't been answering my letters since…what happened"

"What's there to talk about, Sirius? I just don't like being near these caves. Grant kept me locked in here for weeks. I was pretty much at my lowest point"

"Tell me what happened. Your father gave me the short version but I want to hear it from you"

Aria recounted the incident at her aunt's manor. She told him how she had tricked them by pretending to be hurt by the wolfsbane.

"Did you ever figure out why you were getting so tired?"

"Probably some spell by them. What does it matter? I got my strength back"

"Because if it was Grant doing it, he would've made sure that you stayed weak. I've known Grant my entire life, Aria. He doesn't like even the tiniest bit of doubt. He would've been prepared for the wolfsbane not being fully effective"

"He thought I wasn't a threat. I don't want to talk about this anymore"

"They won't come near you now that your father is out of Azkaban. No matter what Elyse says, the only person she's more scared of than her father is yours. They know that if they even looked at you the wrong way, he'd hex them until they were piles of dirt"

"Have you seen him?"

"I met him and Remus at the old house. He's letting Remus stay there. He offered me a room too but I want to be close to here until the tournament is over and I'm sure that Harry is safe. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious. If I'm not there for him, you're the next best protection"

"I know. I won't let anything happen to him. He's like a brother to me. If anyone messes with him, my claws will come out"

He chuckled, ruffling her hair. Harry, Hermione, and Ron left the cave. Patting Harry on the shoulder, Sirius told him to keep sending letters and not leave Hogwarts without permission. After saying their goodbyes, they headed back down to Hogsmeade.

"Why did he need to talk to you alone?"

Hermione stepped on Harry's foot. Aria looked at him.

"He always does that. Why can't he say what he says to you in front of us…or at least me? Is there something you're not telling us?"

"He was just asking me about what happened when I was kidnapped, Harry. I don't like talking about it"

"But he's done that before and"

"He kind of used to have a crush on my mom when they were teenagers. He likes to ask about her and see if he's got a shot" she lied.

Relieved that they believed her, she suggested that they check out the new candies in Honeyduke's. She opened the door, ushering them into the shop.

The next two days were torture for Hermione. Giggles and whispers from passing girls were nothing compared to what began during breakfast on Monday morning. Hermione received letters from random people, mostly women. All of the letters were trashing Hermione, calling her a wicked girl for messing with Harry's affections. One letter contained undiluted bubotuber pus which caused her painful boils to form on her hands. It had gotten so bad that Hermione refused to open any letters. Aria would immediately burn them the letters and toss the howlers into the lake. She felt terrible that Hermione was being treated so poorly due to a cruel lie. The Slytherin girls loved seeing Hermione upset and did not stop with their relentless bullying during classes. Instead of crying or hiding in her room, Hermione became more determined to find out how Skeeter had been hearing private conversations since Dumbledore banned her from the grounds. Aria decided to help her and was sure that the Slytherins had some involvement. They were both certain that Skeeter could not be using some muggle recording device to get her gossip.

Aria was sitting in the Slytherin common room, waiting for Pansy and Millicent. Like every other morning, they took an hour to get ready. Tracey was finishing up her essay for the Potions assignment. Zacharias Smith, her partner, had been no help at all, having her do all of the work. They chose something basic, deciding to come up with the ingredients for an advanced boil cure potion. From what Aria had heard, besides a few other pairs, only she and Draco had created an actual potion for the assignment. They were not worried about failing due to Aria's advanced potion skills. Last night, they tested the potion for happiness on a group of second years and it made them cheerful for hours.

"Let them take their time. I don't mind missing History of Magic. Binns won't even notice" said Theodore.

"Where's Daphne? She's done trying to get pictures of us together to send to _Witch Weekly_?" asked Aria, glancing around the nearly empty common room.

Tracey was purposely avoiding Aria's gaze, writing the last sentence of her essay. She told them that Daphne had gone to the owlery to send a letter to her mother. Blaise asked her to contact her with her two-way mirror, which was similar to Ben's mirror. All four girls had them, using the mirrors to gossip and send messages during classes. Tracey reached into her bag and placed a small compact mirror onto the table.

"It's a piece of junk. My sister sold us broken ones. You can't even see the other person. Besides, she won't talk to you, Blaise. She's busy"

"Sending a letter? How long does that take? She's been gone all morning"

"Well, it's an important letter"

"You're lying. Where is she?"

"I already told you! Stop asking!"

"Yea, stop being rude, Blaise. Tracey's under a lot of stress"

Blaise was about to retort until Aria gave the guys a subtle wink. She offered Tracey to lean her head on her shoulder for much needed rest. Tracey thanked her, putting down her essay. As she leaned her head, Aria covered her mouth and Draco pinned her legs to the couch. Tracey struggled against them, mumbling into Aria's hand.

"Shh, just let it happen. You're not going to win, Tracey"

Aria grabbed the mirror and tapped it with her hand, saying Daphne's name. The mirror emitted a faint blue glow.

"Hey Tracey" said Daphne.

"Hi" replied Aria, imitating Tracey's voice perfectly.

Tracey squealed, looking up at Aria. The guys sniggered quietly.

"These mirrors are terrible. I can't even see you. You need to get our money back from your sister"

"What are you doing?"

"I told you this morning. I set up that interview with Rita Skeeter in the Three Broomsticks. Once I tell her how much Aaron is in love with me and she prints the article in _Witch Weekly_, he'll have to ask me out for real or everyone will think he's being so mean to me for not being a good boyfriend. It's the perfect plan, right?"

Aria giggled. "Definitely. Are you with her right now?"

"She should be here in a few minutes. I'll tell you all about it during class"

"Okay. Bye"

The glow faded from the mirror. Aria was contemplating whether to drag Daphne out of the pub by her hair or strangle her. She moved her hand away from Tracey and stood up from the couch.

"Aaron, wait. It's not what you think"

"You knew about this?"

"It's just—you know how Daphne is…she's so funny sometimes. She says things she doesn't mean and—what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to stop the interview and then…I'll either yell at her or I'll kill her. Depends on my mood when I get there"

"Don't. I—I'll stop you"

"Pfft, good luck with that"

Aria left the common room. She closed her eyes, focusing on Hogsmeade. When she took a small peek, she found herself at the dungeons entrance. She groaned, annoyed that she only transported herself a few feet. Muttering curses under her breath, she ran to the Three Broomsticks. Daphne was sitting at a booth, putting on lip gloss. Seeing Aria, she panicked and covered her face with a menu.

"Hey sugar muffin" said Aria with a fake smile.

"A—Aaron, hi. What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same"

"I was just here for a quick drink. Butterbeer wakes me up in the morning"

"Really? So you're not here to tell that gossip rat how we're in a relationship? Don't try to deny it, Daphne. I was the one talking to you in the mirror, not Tracey"

"Please don't tell Rita Skeeter the truth. It'll embarrass me"

Aria pouted. "Oh no, I would never do that. If you don't call off this interview, I will make your life a living hell"

Rita Skeeter was entering the pub. Daphne walked over to her and told her that they needed to cancel the interview. Aria brought her back to the castle, ignoring all of her apologies…

* * *

**A/N: Fourth year is going to wrap up within the next few chapters. A lot of things will start coming together, including her relationships with different people. Aria's line about Harry being like a brother to her is going to be important, especially when it comes to the third task. Something to remember is that Aria has always been a very loyal person but that could be her downfall. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	36. Suspicions

Over the next two months, Aria's relationships with several people had done a complete turnaround. While her relationship with Draco was improving as they slowly became friends again, her relationship with Ben was getting worse. Ben was completely against her repaired friendship with Draco. He would bring up all the fights between them in the past and how Draco's father was the cause of the problems in her life. No matter how much Aria defended Draco, assuring Ben that he was not exactly like his father, it did not get through to him. Draco was not the only issue in their relationship. Ben had become unreasonably jealous if Aria spent time with any guy. He became very possessive of her, wanting to spend all of their time out of classes together and buying her gifts every day. Though she appreciated how much he cared for her, it was becoming very frustrating. Her breaking point was when he got angry with Ron for picking up her Transfiguration book that fell out of her bag.

To get some time away from Ben, she would sit in the library with Hermione. They continued to research magical methods of eavesdropping but had not found anything that could allow Rita Skeeter to get private interviews at the school. Aria kept a close eye on the Slytherins, waiting for one of them to slip up about Skeeter's secret. One day, she tried to bribe Crabbe and Goyle with food but even cupcakes the size of their fists could not get them talking. The only strange thing she had noticed was Blaise holding a bug in his hand as though he was speaking to it. When Aria questioned him, he claimed that he was going to do something stupid like set it on fire with his wand. After their visit to Sirius, Ron had sent a letter to Percy, who proved to be no help at all in giving them information about Crouch's whereabouts. Percy repeated the same statements as the Ministry, insisting that Crouch was taking a break from work and any other rumors were ridiculous. Aria's father was not much better, telling her the same things as Sirius. He warned her to not get involved in that mess and to simply let the Ministry handle it.

Aria was sitting in a small clearing in the Forbidden Forest. After dinner, she decided to go for a run with Ben. He emerged from the trees, still in his wolf form. Shifting back, he sat beside her and kissed her cheek.

"Aren't you glad that you came out with me?"

"Yea, this is always fun. I needed a break from the library. I was there all night with Hermione"

"Were Harry and Ron there too?"

"Does that matter? I don't know why you're being so weird lately. They're my friends. They don't even know about the real me"

"One day, they will and I just don't trust them. I think you should only hang out with Hermione"

She looked at him. "Are you telling me who can't be my friend? You're being such a hypocrite, Ben. You have friends that are girls…Fleur is part veela but you don't see me freaking out when you hang out with her"

"That's different"

"It is not. I'm going back to the common room"

Aria left the forest, not listening as Ben shouted for her. She cast her disguising charms and headed back to the castle. In her mind, Ben was being ridiculous for telling her not to be friends with a guy. She felt like he did not trust her. As she passed the quidditch pitch, she noticed Cedric and Harry. Cedric smiled, seeing her.

"Hey Aaron. What are you—is everything okay? You look upset"

"I'm fine"

"Did something happen?"

"It's nothing. I just got in this stupid fight with a friend from home and…he's being an idiot"

"I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure you'll work it out"

Bagman called out to them from the quidditch pitch. Harry asked her to stay near the pitch to talk later. She leaned against a tree, listening to Bagman explain the third task to the champions. Hagrid was growing extremely tall hedges in the pitch to form a maze. The champions had to face obstacles in the maze and the first to find the Triwizard Cup would be the winner of the tournament. Since Harry and Cedric were tied for first, they would get a headstart in the maze. Aria was curious about what obstacles would be used in the task. Hearing Bagman mention creatures, she thought of Hagrid's only remaining skrewt and felt bad for anyone who crossed its path. One by one, they left the pitch. Bagman was attempting to get Harry's attention but backed off when Viktor asked to speak to Harry privately. Viktor led him towards the forest. Remembering her promise to Sirius that she would protect Harry, she followed them, hiding her wand up her sleeve. She was distracted by the sounds of trees being rooted from the ground. Deep down, she knew it was not some hidden giant doing the damage. Viktor and Harry were under the shade of a large tree.

"Ve are having a private conversation" said Viktor, seeing her walk towards them.

"No offense to you but I'm not leaving Harry alone with anyone. Anything you want to say to him, you can say in front of me"

"It's okay. Aaron's my friend" said Harry.

To her surprise, Viktor interrogated Harry about his relationship with Hermione. It sounded like Viktor believed Skeeter's article. Harry immediately made it clear that he and Hermione were only friends. Aria listened to them bond over their flying skills. She heard a rustling sound in the trees. Instinctively, she took out her wand.

"Vot is it?" asked Viktor, confused.

She stepped closer to the trees, her wand tip lit. Suddenly, a man staggered from behind a tree. As she shined the light in his face, she realized it was Mr. Crouch. He looked completely different than his usual prim and proper self. His robes were torn at the knee and covered in the blood, his hair was disheveled and dirty, and his chin was covered in stubble. Besides his bizarre appearance, he muttered to himself, sounding like a mental patient.

"Vosn't he a judge? Isn't he with your Ministry?"

Harry nodded, taking a step towards Crouch while holding his own wand. Staring at the tree, Crouch continued to talk to himself, muttering about owls to Dumbledore and the Triwizard Tournament.

"Mr. Crouch? Are you all right?" asked Harry.

Crouch fell to his knees , his eyes rolling around in his head. Harry and Aria looked at each other, unsure of what to do about him. He suggested that they find someone at the castle. Crouch seized the bottom of his robes.

"Dumbledore! I need…see…Dumbledore!"

"Okay. If you get up, we can go see"

"I've done…stupid…thing…must tell. Who are..you?"

"We're students at the school, sir"

"Warn…Dumbledore…" he whispered.

"If you let me go, we can get him"

"Thank you, Weatherby, and when you have done that, I would like a cup of tea. My wife and son will be arriving shortly. We are attending a concert tonight with Mr. and Mrs. Fudge. My son has recently gained twelve O.W.L.s, most satisfactory. Thank you, very proud, indeed. Now if you could bring me the memo from the Andorran Minister of Magic..."

Harry told Aria and Viktor to stay with Crouch. He hurried up to the castle to find Dumbledore. Viktor stared at Crouch, who was still babbling to an invisible Percy.

"He is mad"

Aria bent down to Crouch, examining the dazed expression on his face. "No. A curse did this to him. I've seen this before…I can't remember where"

Crouch grabbed her shirt collar. "Don't…leave me. I…escaped...must warn…see Dumbledore…my fault…Bertha…dead…my son…my fault…Harry Potter…the Dark Lord…stronger…"

"Mr. Crouch, just take a deep breath. Who did you escape?"

"All my fault…my son…the Dark Lord…"

"It's okay. Just"

Listening to Crouch's babbling, she recognized the signs of an imperius curse. It had been cast on him so many times that his mind was scrambled. When she was living with Sebastien for a short time, she saw something like this firsthand. Sebastien had been covering up for a crime by casting the imperius curse on a man twice per day. After a week, the man was stuck thinking he was still a teenager at Beauxbatons. Similar to this man, Crouch could barely distinguish between the past and present. It explained why he talked about past events like his son and setting up the Triwizard Tournament. She was more concerned by his mentions of Voldemort and a dead Bertha Jorkins.

"What are you doing with him?"

Ben emerged from the forest. His hands were covered with dirt and blood. She noticed tear stains on his cheeks. He glared at Viktor, his eyes beginning to change color. Aria moved between them.

"Ben, this isn't the time. Crouch is"

"Why are you alone with him?"

"I'm not. We're—Viktor, can you watch Crouch for a minute?"

He nodded, looking at Ben warily. She led Ben over to the Beauxbatons carriage.

"Have you completely lost it? What were you doing in the forest?"

"I was upset"

"So you decided to go all Incredible Hulk and start smashing stuff? I don't have time for this right now. Crouch is here. He's out of his mind. We'll talk later"

"No. We're talking about this now"

Harry was walking towards the forest with Dumbledore and Snape. Dumbledore lit his wand, shining it on a body sprawled on the ground. Aria hurried over to them. Viktor was unconscious and there was no sign of Mr. Crouch. Ben stood behind her, looking down at the scene.

"Shaw, Dolon, what are you doing out here?" asked Snape.

"Aaron was with me too, professor. He was watching over Crouch with Krum"

"Well, he did a poor job. Is your hand all right, Dolon? You're bleeding"

"I tripped. Aaron was about to heal it before you came" lied Ben.

Dumbledore cast the patronus charm, sending a silvery phoenix in the direction of Hagrid's cabin. Pointing his wand at Viktor, he revived him. Viktor's eyes popped open and he looked around in a daze. Panicking, he told Dumbledore that Crouch had attacked him from behind while he waited for Aria to return from her conversation with Ben. A second later, Hagrid arrived, holding a crossbow, with Fang at his heels. Dumbledore asked him to find Karkaroff and Moody at the castle.

"No need, Dumbledore. I'm here"

Moody limped towards them, leaning on his wooden staff. Aria and Ben looked at each other. Both had the same questions on their minds, wondering how Moody just happened to be near the forest. Hagrid headed for the castle with Fang.

"I don't know where Barty Crouch is but it essential that we find him" Dumbledore told Moody.

"I'm on it" he growled, limping into the forest.

Dumbledore questioned Aria about Crouch. She did not leave out any details as she explained what he muttered to them. Hagrid finally returned with Karkaroff, who looked very agitated. His annoyance turned to fear at the sight of Viktor on the ground.

"I vos attacked! Mr. Crouch or votever his name" said Viktor, rubbing his head.

"Crouch attacked you? The Triwizard judge?"

"Igor" started Dumbledore.

Karkaroff angrily accused Dumbledore of treachery. He went on a long tirade about the injustice in the tournament, including Harry as an additional Hogwarts champion and a British Ministry official attacking his prized student. He spat on the ground at Dumbledore's feet. Hagrid seized Karkaroff by his furs, lifting him into the air.

"Apologize!"

"Hagrid, no!" shouted Dumbledore.

Grumbling, he released Karkaroff. "Kindly escort Harry, Aaron, and Ben back up to the castle, Hagrid. Harry and Aaron, you are to remain in your common rooms. Any owls you might want to send can wait until morning. Do you understand me?"

Hagrid offered to leave Fang with Dumbledore. He glowered at Karkaroff, who was still sitting on the ground. Aria walked over to Dumbledore, wanting to tell him about her suspicions.

"Sir, I think Crouch was kidnapped by someone"

"Why would you say that, Aaron?"

"Because he mentioned escaping from somewhere. Krum thought he was just crazy but the way he was talking, I'm definitely sure it was an imperius curse. Whoever had him locked up was casting it on him a lot and it messed with his head. I don't think it was just some random wizard. I think Voldemort is behind it"

Hagrid and Ben tensed up at the sound of Voldemort's name. Dumbledore stared at her for a few minutes in complete silence. Snape was the first person to speak, calling Aria's suspicions preposterous.

"Shaw, that is a foolish accusation to make. I think you need to rest"

"Maybe it wasn't him but I know the imperius curse when I see it"

Hagrid pushed on her back lightly, taking her, Harry, and Ben to the castle. He was still angry over how Karkaroff treated Dumbledore. When he questioned Harry why he had been alone with Viktor, Aria defended him. She assured Hagrid that Viktor would not hurt Harry with her there.

"The less you lot 'ave ter do with these foreigners, the happier yeh'll be. Yeh can' trust any of 'em"

"You were getting on all right with Madame Maxime" said Harry.

"Don' you talk ter me abou' her! Tryin' ter get back in me good books, tryin' ter get me ter tell her what's comin' in the third task. Ha!"

As they entered the castle, Harry turned to Aria. "Are you sure you'll be all right? Do you want to stay with me tonight? There's an extra room in the boys' dormitory"

"He's fine" replied Ben.

"I think I'll be okay, Harry. I'll see you in class"

Hagrid and Harry walked up the staircase. Ben followed her to the Slytherin common room.

"Ben, I'm not doing this tonight"

"Yes, we are. Did you see him just now?"

They were standing in front of the common room entrance. She looked at Ben, incredulously.

"He was worried about me as a friend! Harry is not interested in me, Ben! He thinks I'm a guy! Have you completely lost it?"

"I'm not crazy"

"You are being so unfair. I don't understand why you're getting so jealous over nothing. Do you seriously not trust me? You're my boyfriend. I love you but I can't deal with you hounding me all the time"

"Aria"

"I think we should take a break"

"No, we're—everything is fine"

"It's not fine!"

"What's going on?"

Draco was walking down the corridor. He had been in detention with McGonagall for teasing Neville in class. Seeing him, Ben's nostrils flared and Aria could practically feel the anger rising inside him. It was the worst possible moment for Draco to be there.

"Private conversation, ferret. Just leave us alone"

"I don't think I will. Is he bothering you, Collins?"

"No. I was about to go inside"

He recited the password at the wall. As it slid open, Ben grabbed her arm in a tight grip. His nails were digging into her skin.

"Aria, this conversation isn't over"

"Let go of me, Ben"

"You heard her, mate. You need to back off" warned Draco.

"This isn't any of your business"

Weeks of pent-up frustration were begging to be unleashed. Aria punched him across the face. Ben stumbled back, covering his left eye. A large purple bruise was beginning to form on her arm.

"Maybe your past girlfriends put up with this bullshit but I'm not like them. You are not going to touch me like that, Ben. If you do it again, it's not going to end well for you. Stay away from me"

She went into the common room and sat on the couch, staring into the fireplace. A million emotions were racing through her at the same time. She felt angry at Ben for not trusting her around other guys, yet upset about their fight and hitting him. A bowl of ice cream and a DVD appeared on the table in front of her.

"What the hell is this?"

Draco sat next to her. "When Pansy's upset, the girls give her ice cream and they watch romantic muggle movies. It's the only thing they like about the muggle world. You're a girl too so I thought it's just a thing that all girls do"

"This movie looks stupid. Why would girls watch this?"

"You're the girl, not me"

She conjured a spoon and ate some of the ice cream. In a split second, she spit it back into the bowl.

"What is this?"

"It's my favorite ice cream flavor. It tastes like apple pie"

"I like chocolate. This tastes horrible"

"Collins, why would I know _your _favorite? Try it again. It's really good. You should be happy with the gesture"

Aria let out a small laugh. "You suck at this, Malfoy. How the hell do you get any girls?"

"If you're not going to have it, can I? That detention was horrible"

Shaking her head, she handed him the bowl. She let out a soft whistle. Speedy flew down from the room. He had been resting there after delivering a letter to her father the previous day. Writing a quick note to her father, she tied it to Speedy's leg and sent him out of the common room.

"So are you and wolf boy over?"

"I don't know"

"How do you not know? It's not complicated. He hurt you so dump him"

"You are the last person to give advice on relationships. You cheated on Pansy"

"But I would never hit her. My mother raised me better than that. Clearly, Dolon didn't get the same lesson"

"Can we not talk about Ben?"

"Fine. Teach me everything about the giant wars in Scotland for the test tomorrow. I never pay attention in that class"

"What a shock" she replied, sarcastically.

Aria conjured her history textbook and her notebook. For the rest of the night, she explained the giant wars to him. She had to keep repeating the small details. Honestly, she had not been surprised that he did not study even when the test was announced last week. She never thought that studying history would be more enjoyable than spending time with Ben.

The next morning, she woke up, still sitting in the common room. Draco was passed out beside her. She whacked him with a pillow, causing him to fall onto the floor. Blaise and Theodore walked down the staircase, already dressed in their uniforms.

"You two were here the whole night? What happened?" asked Theodore.

"I was trying to teach this blonde idiot something useful"

Draco scoffed. "History is pointless. It's not like someone is going to corner me in an alley and threaten to kill me if I don't know the head of the giant clan during the 1500s"

After getting dressed and gathering their books, they headed to the Great Hall. She silently hoped that Ben would not attempt to get her alone. As every fourth year was busy studying for the history exam, she zoned out, pushing the food around her plate with a fork. The morning owls flew around, dropping off packages. Speedy landed in front of her, holding a letter in his beak. Last night, she had written to her father about the incident with Crouch. She fed him a treat and opened the letter, skimming its contents. Her father agreed that Crouch could have been placed under a powerful imperius curse and whoever attacked Krum was the one to make Crouch disappear from the grounds. He suggested that Aria sniff out the culprit, explaining that all spells had a unique scent. With their enhanced senses, a shifter could figure out the most recent spell cast by a wand.

A few minutes before the end of breakfast, Aria snuck out of the Great Hall. She quietly cast the imperius curse and focused on the scent. Once she caught it, she slipped her wand into her pocket. The bell rang and people left the Great Hall. She walked among the large crowd, heading up to the history classroom. Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived shortly after her. After Hagrid returned him to the Gryffindor common room, Harry told them everything that happened with Crouch. They had a plan to talk with Moody after class to see if he found Crouch last night. Aria agreed to go with them.

"You really think Voldemort captured him?" asked Harry.

"Or someone working for him. It's possible. He kept bringing up Voldemort even after you left. If I saw him, I'd go straight to Dumbledore too"

History of Magic seemed to drag on for hours. After they finished their exams, Binns decided to use the remaining ten minutes of class to start a new lecture about more giant wars. Aria did not even listen to him, enchanting her pen to take notes for her. Everyone was either asleep, doodling in their books, or staring at the clock, waiting for the end of class. She took her time with putting her book away, hanging towards the back of the group with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Instead of going outside to enjoy their break between classes, they walked to the DADA classroom. First year students were leaving the classroom, looking anxious. Moody greeted them and already knowing what they wanted, he nodded his head towards the door. Aria started to follow him into the classroom until someone grabbed her waist. The person pulled her into an empty corridor. Ben was in front of her.

"Ben, a break means time apart. It hasn't even been a full day"

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry that I was getting so jealous. I didn't mean to get you mad. I just—I care about you so much. I've had other girlfriends but none of them are like you. You're special to me. I need you. You're all I think about, Aria"

Aria stared at him, silently. He cupped her cheek.

"I love you. When your father got released, I kept thinking about how soon enough, you won't need this disguise. Everyone will see you like I do and I can't stand the thought of losing you to someone else. I know you said you wouldn't do that but it could happen. Maybe you'll find someone that you think is better. Just please forgive me. Don't say that we're over"

She was fighting an inner battle with herself. One part of her wanted to forgive Ben instantly and just forget about their fight. She felt the same about him, being completely in love with him. Ben knew her better than anyone else. He made her happier than she had been in a long time. The other part of her countered that Ben could just be saying what she wanted to hear to make her happy. There was no guarantee that he would go back to being jealous over her friendship with other guys.

"Ben, I just need a few days, okay? I need to think about it"

Aria returned to the DADA classroom. Hermione looked at her, concerned. To calm her down, she lied that she was breaking up a fight between two first years. Harry told her that Moody had not found Crouch and the Marauder's Map, which Harry had lent to him, did not show him anywhere on the grounds. They were discussing the idea that Crouch was kidnapped after Viktor was hit with a stunning spell. Ron suggested that someone put Crouch on a broom and flew him out of Hogwarts.

"There's no way, Ron. I wasn't that far from the forest. Ben and I would've seen a broom"

"It was dark" he argued.

"I still think he's somewhere near Hogwarts. Let us check the map again"

"No need for that, Shaw. I'll keep an eye out for him" replied Moody.

As he opened his hip flask, Aria was confused by the scent of potions ingredients. She watched him take a swig from the flask. He commended her for her theory about Crouch being under an imperius curse.

"You've got a sharp mind, Shaw. Doubt we'll know who did it to him though. Crouch always had a lot of enemies. Now, Dumbledore's told me that you three fancy yourselves as investigators and I suppose Shaw is a new member to your little team. There's nothing you can do for Crouch. Best to let the Ministry handle it. Dumbledore's notified them, Potter. You just keep your mind on the third task"

Moody did not seem the least bit worried about Harry getting through the gaze. Dumbledore had mentioned to him that Harry was used to getting through obstacles, such as first year when they went after the sorcerer's stone. As Moody spoke to Harry, she walked over to Moody's desk and picked up his wand. Her eyes widened, smelling a scent similar to the imperius curse she cast in the morning.

"What are you doing, Aaron?" asked Harry, confused.

She put the wand down. Moody looked at her, his magical eye on his wand.

"Just admiring the wand. It's been through a lot, hasn't it, professor?"

"That's right. As I was saying, you lot help him practice for this task and I'll be very surprised if he doesn't win. Just remember, Potter…constant vigilance. Keep a close eye on Potter, you three. You can never have too many eyes out"

Ron glanced at his watch, telling them that they should get to Charms class. They waved goodbye to Moody, hurrying towards the staircase. Moody gripped Aria's shoulder.

"Everything all right with you, Shaw?"

"Yes, sir. I'm just curious. Did you let Dumbledore get a good look at the map too?"

He leaned closer to her. "I like you, boy. You remind me of myself when I was your age. Don't cross me. Bad things happen to people who cross me. Do you understand?"

"Are you threatening me, sir?"

"Just some good advice"

"Well here's some for you. I'm not someone to mess with either. People learn the hard way that they should never underestimate me. The last person who did found out exactly what I am capable of…but you don't need to worry about that, sir. We're on the same side"

Aria gave him a fake smile and left the classroom…

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I really appreciate all of the reviews. The next chapter is going to focus on the third task of the tournament. It's going to have a lot of action-packed scenes and scenes where Aria is a badass. Other characters will show that they should not be messed with either and secrets will be revealed. Also, you'll see that Aria and her father have a lot in common in their ways of thinking. **


	37. Like Father, Like Daughter

After her conversation with Moody, Aria became much more suspicious of him and his intentions at Hogwarts. She had a strong feeling that he was behind Crouch's disappearance but was unsure of his motive. Now that she caught the strange smell coming from his hip flask, she paid extra attention to it while sitting in his classroom. She was able to recognize the ingredients for a polyjuice potion, meaning that Moody had been the one stealing ingredients from Snape's private storeroom and he was an imposter. It made sense that she was catching two conflicting scents from Moody since he was essentially two people. Without any definitive proof, she could not go to Dumbledore's office with her suspicions. She found it difficult to spy on him, especially with that magical eye being able to see in all directions. Her attempt to set up a camera in his office failed within less than a day. Moody had spotted the camera and she found it smashed outside his office. He immediately suspected her and they became wary of each other, caught in a standoff and waiting for the other person to yield.

With Moody being careful around her, she asked for Ben's help with the issue. A week after their private conversation, Aria gave into her strong feelings, deciding to not break up with him. Their relationship was back to normal with Ben no longer being extremely jealous over the tiniest thing. Though they were a happy couple again, she noticed that Ben would sometimes look at her with a sympathetic or sad expression. He had lately been getting owls every morning and night for the past few days. When Aria questioned him about the constant letters, he told her that there were problems at home with his grandparents, which explained his nervous behavior when the owls landed in front of him. The letters were not the only thing putting him on edge.

A week after Crouch vanished from the grounds, Harry had a fit during a Divinations lesson, lying on the floor and clutching his scar. He would later explain to Aria, Ron, and Hermione that he had a strange dream about Voldemort and Wormtail. The dream consisted of Voldemort reprimanding Wormtail for letting someone escape but he was saved from getting eaten by his pet snake Nagini because the person had died. Aria thought that the conversation was about Crouch. Harry had left Divinations to escape everyone staring at him and headed right for Dumbledore's office where he overheard an argument between Fudge and Dumbledore about the Crouch incident and he took a peek at Dumbledore's pensieve. In the pensieve, he witnessed Karkaroff's trial at the Ministry for being a death eater. Karkaroff attempted to get himself out of Azkaban by providing names of other death eaters, including Antonin Dolohov, Augustus Rookwood, and even Snape. At the trial, Dumbledore had defended Snape, telling the Wizengamot that Snape had once been a death eater but shortly before Voldemort's downfall, he became a spy for the good side. Harry also witnessed the trial for Crouch's son, Barty Crouch jr., who had been brought in with the Lestranges. When Dumbledore caught Harry in the pensieve, they had a long discussion.

Harry told them that Dumbledore believed Voldemort was getting stronger and he still trusted Snape. Ben would avoid the subject as much as possible, suggesting that they should leave the issue to the adults. To take their mind off of such dark matters, they focused their efforts on training Harry for the third task. Aria taught him all kinds of hexes to defend himself against different creatures. They practiced every night in empty classrooms. In the week leading up to the task, Aria visited Sirius early in the morning before breakfast. She warned him to be near the castle on the day of the task, thinking that Harry was still in danger.

Aria was sitting at the Gryffindor table, listening to Hermione help Harry perfect his shield charm. He could protect himself from basic hexes but the shield broke against stronger spells. Morning owls flew around the Great Hall. Hermione received her copy of the _Daily Prophet_. As she glanced at the front page, she spit out her pumpkin juice. Ron looked at the newspaper, making the same worried face. He lied poorly that there were no interesting articles.

"Hey Potter! Potter! How's your head? Are you going to go berserk on us?" asked Draco.

The Slytherins laughed loudly. Harry grabbed the newspaper. His picture was on the front page with the following headline: _Harry Potter "Disturbed and Dangerous"_. Aria immediately knew that it was written by Rita Skeeter. The article described the incident in Divinations, suggesting that he was unstable and should not be allowed to attend Hogwarts. Skeeter claimed that he regularly collapsed at school with complaints about pain in his scar. There were quotes from supposed St. Mungo's healers who accused Harry of faking the pain or using it to get attention. Draco was part of the article, telling Skeeter that Harry could speak parseltongue, how most people thought he had been behind the attacks on muggleborns until it had been hushed up, and his friendship with werewolves and giants. According to a member of the Dark Force Defense League, any parselmouth should be investigated since the ability was associated with dark magic and if a person was friends with vicious creatures like werewolves, they had a fondness for violence. Skeeter ended the article by 'fearing' that Harry might use dark magic to win the tournament.

As with every Skeeter article, the Slytherins teased him, touching their foreheads and making weird faces. Hermione questioned how Skeeter could have known about his scar hurting when the class was in the North Tower.

"Maybe she was hiding in there. She could have an invisibility cloak" suggested Aria.

"No, it has to be something else. She couldn't sneak all the way up there with no one noticing her"

"Well, you're the one who's supposed to be researching magical methods of bugging! You tell me how she did it" said Harry.

"I've been trying! I"

Hermione's eyes widened in realization. She mumbled to herself and hurried to the library. While Ron studied for their end of term History exam, Aria reached into her bag, pulling out a leather bracelet. She handed it to Harry.

"Think of it as a good luck charm"

He put it on his wrist. "Need all the luck I can get, don't I?"

Aria had secretly enchanted the bracelet. As long as he wore the bracelet, she would be able to track his location. She wanted to know where he was at all times during the task. McGonagall passed by the Gryffindor table, telling Harry that the champions had to go to the chamber outside the Great Hall after breakfast. The champions' families were invited to watch the third task. Harry was doubtful that the Dursleys, being so against magic, would come to Hogwarts. Once the bell rang, Aria followed everyone out of the Great Hall. Draco was talking to Adrian near a gargoyle statue. While Adrian went down to the dungeons for Potions, Aria stood behind Draco, arms crossed. Seeing her, he sighed.

"Don't bother, Collins. I already know what you're going to say. I've been waiting for it all morning"

Draco stood next to her. "Malfoy, what is your problem?" he asked, putting on a high-pitched voice to imitate her.

He turned towards her again. "Collins, don't get your wand in a knot. The article was a good laugh. Stop pitying Potter"

Aria watched as he kept switching between himself and imitating her. He knew most of what she was going to say, including how Harry did not deserve to be bullied and that Skeeter just wanted to cause trouble. She waited for him to finish his little act.

"Anything else you want to add?" he asked.

"Two things"

She smacked him over the head with her bag. He rubbed his head, wincing.

"Bloody hell, that hurt!"

"Now for the second thing…you're an idiot and you are so obviously jealous of Harry"

"Jealous of Potter? Why would I want an ugly scar on my forehead? He's nothing special"

"It's either that or you're in love with him"

Draco glared. "Don't even joke, Collins"

"I bet that's it. That's why you make fun of him all the time"

Aria made a kissy face. His fists clenched. She continued to tease him about his love for Harry, going up the staircase. Draco was getting angrier with each taunt. She pretended to moan.

"Yea, Harry, give it to me"

"Shut up!"

"It's okay to admit it, Malfoy. I can see the appeal for you. The forbidden romance between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin. We could make a play about it…Romeo and Julian"

"You're not funny. Maybe you're just in denial that Potter really is a mental case"

"If you keep it up, I'll freeze that smirk on your face. Harry has enough to deal with right now besides gits like you who can't leave him alone for five seconds"

"Oh, did I hurt wittle Potter's feelings? I'm so sorry…oh wait, I'm not"

Their argument ended as they reached the history classroom. As they took their final exams, Aria kept bothering Draco by teasing him about his secret love for Harry, making kissy faces and drawing cute pictures. During dinner, she found out that instead of the Dursleys, Mrs. Weasley and Bill had shown up to support Harry. Mrs. Weasley greeted her warmly, embracing her in a hug. Dumbledore had everyone go to the quidditch pitch for the task. Aria sat in the stands with the Slytherins. She glanced around, unable to find Ben. He was nowhere in the pitch, not even with his Beauxbatons friends.

"Did you see Ben at all?"

"Maybe he's waiting to break Potter's legs for just looking at you"

She stamped on Draco's foot. "Shut up. He hasn't been like that in weeks" she hissed.

"You really are a girl, Collins. Just because he's your boyfriend, it doesn't mean he has to spend every minute with you. He doesn't need to be attached to your hip"

"What are you two talking about?" asked Pansy.

"Arguing over who will win. I think Harry's got a good shot" lied Aria.

Aria was cheering for both Cedric and Harry. If either of them won, it would still be a Hogwarts victory. The four champions were standing near the front of the maze with Bagman. Hagrid, Moody, McGonagall, and Flitwick entered the stadium. They were going to patrol the outside of the maze in case one of the champions found themselves in danger. Before Aria left the Great Hall, she had overheard Moody offer to carry the Triwizard Cup into the maze. She kept her eyes on him, not listening as Bagman addressed the crowd. The professors stationed themselves at different spots around the maze. As he shouted Harry and Cedric's names, she cheered. Harry was bouncing on his heels. Bagman blew a whistle and let Harry and Cedric into the maze. After two more whistles, spaced minutes apart, all four champions were participating in the task. While they waited for someone to find the Triwizard Cup, Bagman gave some commentary. He would tell the crowd when one of the champions was facing an obstacle. Cedric had just escaped a blast-ended skrewt. As Bagman made a joke, she heard Fleur scream within the maze, due to her enhanced senses. No one else was aware of it. She stood up from her seat.

"Aaron, where are you going?" asked Theodore.

"My stomach hurts. I'm going to go to the bathroom really quick"

Sliding past people, she left the pitch. She snuck around the outside of the maze, spotting Moody. He was peering through the hedges. As she walked towards him, a hand covered her mouth. Moody was behind her. The Moody near the maze had been a fake, created by a spell.

"You think I didn't notice you watching me, Shaw? You're not ruining my plans"

He chuckled, carrying her towards the castle. Aria was thrown into his office. He flicked his wand. An invisible shield formed in the doorway. Moody flashed her a nasty grin.

"Scream all you want, boy. No one will hear you. They're all at the can't use your magic either. Only my wand works in this office. I'll deal with you later"

"Professor, you can't leave me here"

"You'll have to excuse me. I have to make sure Potter gets to that cup. We both want him to win, don't we?"

He left the room. Aria found his wooden staff leaning against the desk. Grabbing it, she let out an ear-shattering scream. She stood on top of a chair, begging for help.

"My leg…professor, I think it's broken! I can't feel my leg! Someone help me! Ow!"

"Shut your mouth, boy! You're screaming like a banshee!"

"Please help me, sir. The bone is sticking out. There's blood all over the floor. I tried to climb out the window. If you don't help and I die, how are you going to explain it to Dumbledore?"

Moody's wooden leg banged on the floor. He grumbled to himself about foolish children. Right when he entered the room, she whacked him in the face with the staff. Moody was instantly knocked out, falling face first onto the floor. She jumped down from the chair.

"Jerk" she muttered.

Tossing the staff aside, she found his wand in his coat pocket. "You were damn wrong if you thought I'd get trapped twice. I should do a lot worse to you but you're not worth my time"

She removed the shield from the doorway and rushed back down to the maze. Waving her wand, she conjured a map that showed the Hogwarts grounds. A black dot, representing Harry, was moving through the maze. A second later, the dot vanished. She tapped her wand against the map. It expanded, showing more land. The dot reappeared in a town in northern England called Little Hangleton. Seeing the dot turn red, she knew that Harry was in danger. She twirled her necklace, creating a portal while focusing on the specific location on the map. Jumping through the portal, she found herself in a graveyard. Three dark figures were up ahead, standing near a large marble headstone.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Aria jumped, seeing a flash of green light and hearing a loud thud. She cast a disillusionment charm on herself and quietly tiptoed across the graveyard. Hiding behind a tombstone, she spotted Harry tied up against the headstone with his mouth gagged by a black cloth. Cedric's body was lying on the ground. Tears brimmed her eyes, realizing that he had been hit by the killing curse. He looked exactly like her mother with his lifeless eyes staring up at the sky. A hooded figure pushed a stone cauldron towards the headstone, wheezing heavily, while a gigantic green snake slithered through the grass. She recognized Pettigrew's scent. Flames appeared under the cauldron, causing the liquid to bubble.

"Hurry!" said a cold, high-pitched voice.

Aria followed the sound of the voice to a bundle of robes on the ground. Pettigrew opened the robes, revealing some kind of monstrous baby. It was hairless and scaly with thin, feeble limbs, a flat face, and gleaming red eyes. Pettigrew's hood fell back as he carried the strange creature over to the cauldron, dropping it into the bubbling liquid. Flicking his wand at the grave, a trickle of dust rose into the air and fell into the cauldron.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son! Flesh—of the servant w—willingly given, you will r—revive your master"

Aria watched him cut off his own hand with a dagger. He dropped it into the cauldron and turned to Harry. Grabbing his arm roughly, he cut into Harry's skin and let the blood drip into a glass vial. Harry cried out in pain.

"B—blood of the enemy…forcibly taken. You will resurrect your f—foe"

As the blood was added to the mixture, the cauldron simmered and a surge of white steam billowed onto the ground. As the mist cleared, Aria saw the outline of a tall, very thin man rising from the cauldron. Pettigrew draped him in black robes, bowing his head. The man turned around, showing a ghostly pale face with scarlet eyes and a flat nose with snake-like slits for nostrils and unnaturally long fingers like a spider's legs. He did not resemble anything close to a human being. Aria could only describe him as a monster. Not even hearing him say it, she knew she was looking at Voldemort. Pettigrew handed him a wand with a bone as the handle.

"Hold out your arm, Wormtail" he said in that same cold voice.

"Oh Master…thank you, Master…" replied Pettigrew, extending his severed arm.

"The other arm, Wormtail"

He grabbed Pettigrew's left arm, pushing up the sleeve. There was a tattoo of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth, similar to the Dark Mark. She remembered how Karkaroff had kept showing his wrist to Snape and wondered if he had the same tattoo. Voldemort pressed his forefinger into the mark. Harry closed his eyes tightly, screaming against the cloth in his mouth. Aria wanted to help him but could not let herself get caught in the graveyard. Pettigrew's mark had turned jet black in color. Voldemort paced around the graveyard. Though he said nothing, Aria felt very intimidated.

"How many will be brave enough to return when they feel it? And how many will be foolish enough to stay away?"

He looked at Harry with a cruel smile. She listened as he spoke to Harry, telling him that the grave belonged to his father, who happened to be a muggle. He mentioned that, like Harry's mother who died to protect Harry, his father had his uses in death, helping him to return to full form. A nearby mansion was where his father lived and his mother, a pureblood witch, was from the same village. When he learned about her magical abilities, he abandoned her before Voldemort was born. Black clouds filled the sky. One by one, wizards in black robes and masks appeared in the graveyard. Among them were Mr. Malfoy, Macnair, Mr. Parkinson, Elyse, Grant, and Ethan. She scrunched her nose as one man kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes and the rest followed his example.

"Welcome, Death Eaters. Thirteen years…thirteen years since we last met and yet you answer my call as though it were yesterday. We are still united under the Dark Mark! Or are we? I smell guilt. There is a stench of guilt upon the air"

As he shamed them for never searching for him after his disappearance, Aria crawled over to the headstone. Harry was in a lot of pain. She touched his shoulder.

"Shh" she whispered.

He looked beside him. "Aaron?" he mouthed, eyes wide.

"I'll get you out. Just stay quiet. Once I get you loose, we'll get out of here"

The cords around his body were heavily binded with dark magic. She did not want to risk one of the death eaters seeing spells emit from her wand. Attempting wandless magic, she started to untie the cords. She listened to Voldemort accuse his followers of thinking that he was not the greatest wizard of all time and had switched allegiance to Dumbledore. Hearing Dumbledore's name, many of them muttered and shook their heads. When one man flung himself at his feet, begging for forgiveness, Voldemort hit him with the cruciatus curse. The man was writhing on the ground.

"Get up, Avery. You ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years…I want thirteen years of repayment before I forgive you. Wormtail here has paid some of his debt, have you not, Wormtail?"

Pettigrew continued to sob, cradling his arm. He insulted him for returning out of fear, rather than loyalty and said he deserved that pain. Though he showed clear disdain for the rat, he rewarded him for helping with his return. Waving his hand, he created a shining silver hand to replace the lost limb. Pettigrew repeatedly thanked him for his kindness. Aria was close to undoing the first cord. Voldemort addressed some of the death eaters personally, including Mr. Malfoy and her aunt and uncle. There was a small sneer on his face when speaking to Elyse. Aria tensed up, hearing him mention her name.

"I am sure your son will be as faithful to me as you two are. Will he prove himself useful?"

Ethan bowed his head. "I will do whatever you ask, my lord"

Voldemort stopped in front of a gap in the circle of followers. He mentioned that the Lestranges should be with them but they were still locked in Azkaban. His plan was to recruit the dementors and giants to their side. There were six other missing death eaters, including three dead from the first war, one too cowardly to face him, one who possibly left his service forever, and his most faithful servant who was at Hogwarts.

"It is through his efforts that our young friend arrived here tonight"

All of their eyes flashed in Harry's direction. Aria kept herself hidden against the headstone. She held her breath and felt Harry's hand rest over hers in the grass. Voldemort called Harry the guest of honor. Mr. Malfoy bought her more time, asking how he had returned tonight. As Voldemort spoke, she continued to untie the cords.

"His mother died in the attempt to save him and—unwittingly provided him with a protection I admit I had not foreseen. I could not touch the boy. His mother left upon him the traces of her sacrifice…it is old magic. I was foolish to overlook it but no matter, I can touch him now"

Voldemort moved in front of Harry. He pressed the tip of his finger against Harry's forehead, causing Harry to yell. Letting go of Harry, he explained that Pettigrew discovered him hiding in an Albanian forest. While at an inn, he found Bertha Jorkins and she was used to tell them about the Triwizard Tournament. She was also the one to tell him about this faithful servant who would aid him. Aria figured that the death eater was disguised as Moody. He had been the one to put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire and turned the Triwizard Cup into a portkey, ensuring that Harry would be brought to the graveyard.

"And here he is…the boy you all believed had been my downfall…"

Voldemort hit him with the cruciatus curse. Aria could barely keep herself still as she watched Harry shake from the pain. The death eaters laughed cruelly at the sight.

"You see how foolish it was to suppose that this boy could ever have been stronger than me. I want there to be no mistake in anybody's mind. Harry Potter escaped me by lucky chance. Now I am going to prove my power by killing him in front of you all, when there is no Dumbledore to help him and no mother to die for him. I will give him his chance. He will be allowed to fight and you will be left in no doubt which of us is stronger. Untie him, Wormtail, and give him back his wand"

"You'll be okay" Aria whispered to Harry.

She moved behind the headstone. Pettigrew cut the ropes and handed Harry his wand. Harry was able to stand due to his injured leg.

"You've been taught how to duel, Harry Potter? First, we bow to each other" said Voldemort, bending slightly.

Frightened, Harry was frozen to the ground. "Come now, Harry, the niceties must be observed. Dumbledore wouldn't want you to forget your manners. I said bow"

Casting the imperius curse, he forced Harry to bend forward. The death eaters laughed as though it was a fun game.

"Very good, Harry. Face me like a man, straight-backed and proud…the way your father died. And now…we duel"

Voldemort raised his wand. "Crucio!"

Without even thinking, Aria cast a shield charm. The curse rebounded, disappearing into the night sky. She stayed hidden, thinking of how to get out of the graveyard. Her first idea was to create a portal and get Harry, Cedric, and herself through it but she doubted that she could be that quick. Ethan was sniffing the air. He smirked, looking directly at her hiding place.

"I see you, baby cousin"

Voldemort seemed to forget about Harry. His eyes rested on the tombstone.

"Have you brought me a special gift, Elyse? Come out of hiding, little Collins. Do not be a coward like your father"

Aria felt an invisible force tugging at her navel, breaking through her disillusionment charm. It was trying to move her from the tombstone. She fought off the spell, clutching her stomach. He chuckled softly.

"Such power for her age. Get her"

Aria ran from the tombstone, going deep into the graveyard. Spells whizzed past her, narrowly missing her. She stopped running and turned around, ready to face them. Waving her wand, she created mist to cover her. She pointed her wand at herself. As one of the death eaters cleared the mist, copies of her appeared all over the graveyard, each capable of performing magic. She hid behind a headstone.

"Try to find me. Bet you can't figure out which one is me" she said, her copies mimicking her.

Grant cast the cruciatus curse at one of the copies. It vanished in a wisp of smoke and another one took its place.

"Ha ha, wrong one"

She smirked, watching the death eaters struggle to find the real her. Controlling the copies, she enchanted a nearby tree to wrap its branches around three death eaters, including Macnair. Ethan and Elyse could not easily sniff her out since the copies all had the same scent. She stifled a giggle, seeing a death eater get hit with a stinging hex in the face.

"Aria, enough games"

Elyse was behind her, pointing her wand at Aria's neck. "Do not be foolish. You're just like your father…reckless. You make poor decisions. Now that you're here, there's no chance of you escaping the Dark Lord"

"I think I've got a pretty good shot. I'm not scared of you, Elyse"

"Surrender willingly and I will not harm you"

Behind her back, Aria conjured powder in her hand. She blew it in Elyse's face. Elyse coughed, waving her hand. She clutched her throat, choking and falling to her knees.

"Crushed wolfsbane. Have fun with that"

Ethan apparated behind the headstone. "You were lucky the first time. Now I won't be so nice"

"Then I won't be either. I went easy on you"

"I've got 7 years on you, brat"

"And yet you still got beat by a little girl. How pathetic"

He snarled and tackled her to the ground. They rolled around, trying to get the upper hand on each other. He bit into her shoulder. She headbutted him, causing him to stagger back. Climbing a tree, she watched him search for her. As he passed her, she swung down, wrapping her legs around his head and snapping his neck. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. She regretted that something like that would not kill him. Within an hour, he would be awake. A burn hex nearly hit her head. Mr. Malfoy, Grant, and Pettigrew were heading towards her. She placed the tip of her wand on the ground. Ice formed along the ground and as it touched them, it inched up their bodies. The ice stopped at their necks. She picked up their fallen wands. Throwing them outside the graveyard, she pouted.

"Oops, I am so clumsy sometimes. Good try, boys. O for effort but T for the overall execution"

"Release us at once!" snarled Mr. Malfoy.

"Let me think about—no"

Most of the mist she created was still hovering around the graveyard. As she looked for Harry, a hand wrapped around her throat, lifting her into the air. Voldemort appeared in front of her. She growled, ready to bite his hand. His wand pressed against her chest. Her fangs retracted.

"You will never bite your master, little wolf. I will teach you respect...something that your father lacked. You belong to me, Aria"

"Sorry. You're not my type"

She jammed her wand into his eye. Covering his eye, he let go of her. She continued to run until a rope wrapped around her ankle, knocking her to the ground. The rope tugged her back towards him.

"I admire your spirit but over time, I will break it. Here is your first lesson"

He made a slashing movement with his wand. Suddenly, her skin felt like it was on fire. She gritted her teeth, feeling a gash form across her stomach. He told her to remain here until he disposed of Harry. She was slipping in and out of consciousness from the blood loss. Reaching around her, she tried to find her wand. She heard Voldemort shout for the death eaters to do nothing during his duel with Harry. Feeling her wand, she healed the wound. She grabbed onto a tombstone to help her stand and saw ghosts surrounding Harry. The ghosts resembled an old man, a middle-aged woman, a young couple with similar features to Harry, and Cedric. She watched the ghosts swarm at Voldemort. Harry rushed over to Cedric's dead body.

"Aaron!" he shouted, looking around him.

She was too weak to run. Desperately, he summoned the Triwizard Cup and vanished from the graveyard. Once the ghosts cleared, Voldemort noticed Harry was gone and screamed in fury. His eyes rested on her. The wound on his stomach was forming again, along with one on her leg. As he headed towards her, her heart raced and her skin felt very warm. In an instant, she was no longer in the graveyard. She had landed in the quidditch pitch, near the bottom of the stands. Harry was in the middle of the pitch, kneeling beside Cedric and crying. Dumbledore hurried down to him. She slumped against the stands.

"Aria?"

With her blurry vision, she noticed Ben running towards her. He hugged her.

"What the hell happened? Why are you hurt? Where were you?"

Aria leaned against his chest and he led her under the stands. She recounted everything that happened in the graveyard. In between telling him about Voldemort's return, she coughed up blood.

"I need to see Dumbledore. I need to tell him what I saw. I don't care if he knows about me. This is more important"

He cupped her face in his hands. "That's what I love about you. You're so selfless. You're hurt and all you care about is your stupid friend. You can't go"

"Yes, I can. I'll just lean on you. Come on, they're right there. It's not a far walk. You can even get him yourself"

"They failed. Since they failed, I can't. I'm sorry, Aria"

She looked at him, strangely. "For what?"

"They rushed into things last time. They went into it without thinking. I never wanted to be part of this but I'm not strong like you. I can't stand up to everybody…not to him. He needed me. He's made mistakes but everyone deserves second chances. He's not as bad as my grandparents think. He just—once I do this, he can start over and things will be better"

Aria did not understand one word. Ben kept a tight grip on her waist. Blood seeped through her shirt and down her leg.

"He's the one that found you in the first place. He was desperate and he thought your funeral was suspicious. How could they find a body after all these years when they had searched everywhere when you first went missing? He's the one that led them to you…that told them you were still alive"

"Ben, you're not making sense. I need to talk to Dumbledore and to be there for Harry. I saw"

He kissed her forehead, brushing her hair away from her face. "I know who you saw…and he's waiting for you. You're as important to him as Harry Potter"

Taking out his wand, he pressed it against the side of her head. Aria felt a spell hit her and she lost consciousness…

~Draco~

Draco was leaving the quidditch pitch. During the third task, Aria mysteriously left the stands. She claimed that she was feeling ill but he did not believe her. A few seconds after Potter returned with an unconscious Diggory, he had noticed a flash of bright light. It reminded him of when he saw Aria practice making her portals. Aria had appeared at the bottom of the stands, bruised and bleeding. She was definitely not in the best shape. He decided to check on her, worried that she had gone to help that dark wizard friend of hers and that he got her injured. As he reached the bottom of the stands, rolling his eyes at Potter crying over probably not being the only winner, he noticed Ben pull Aria under the stands.

She was bleeding very badly. Blood seeped through her shirt and there was a gash across her leg. She told Ben that she needed to talk to Dumbledore. He kissed her forehead.

"I know who you saw…and he's waiting for you. You're as important to him as Harry Potter"

Ben knocked her out with a spell. He slung her over his shoulder, reaching into his back pocket and taking out an old can. Tapping it with his wand, the can emitted a faint glow. It was a portkey. Ben began to vanish from the stands. Draco ran behind him and was able to grab his sleeve at the last second, getting pulled along with the portkey. He slammed into a hard floor. Standing up, he found himself in the living room of Graham's manor. Ben had placed Aria on one of the couches. He snarled, seeing Draco.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question. Why did you bring Collins here? What are you doing?"

"Take that portkey out of here before I tear out your throat, ferret! Get out!" he shouted, grabbing Draco by the front of his shirt.

"Ben, put him down"

A guy in his early 20s with disheveled dark hair, pale blue eyes, and scars across his face entered the living room. Draco thought he seemed familiar. He realized that he had seen him in the Ministry, having a conversation with his father and Mr. Montague. It was the memory that Ben had accidentally repressed in Hogsmeade. Looking at them side by side, they were definitely brothers and this guy was Riven Jones.

"He's your brother. The file we found on him mentioned that he had a brother and lived with his grandparents. That night in Hogsmeade, you lied to her when you said you messed up the memory charm. You knew that I would figure it out"

"Don't give yourself so much credit, Malfoy. I was taking some precautions"

"Put him down, Ben. If you hurt Lucius's kid, we'll be in more trouble"

Ben let go of his shirt, scowling. "I think he'd appreciate it. The kid's a brat"

Riven told him to watch Draco while he contacted Grant. He left the living room. Draco looked at Ben.

"You've been playing her from the start"

"I was helping my brother. He got in a lot of trouble and Aria was the only way to get your father and Grant's help in clearing up the mess. I care about her"

He scoffed. "You care? You're handing her over to you know who…that's love right there. You knew where she had been the entire time when she got captured. You were just pretending to be clueless"

Ben glared. "I didn't know. They weren't supposed to do that. My brother was rushing things. We had a specific plan. When you know who returned tonight"

"What?"

"Yea, he's back. You won't have to worry, I'm sure. Riven knew the death eater hiding at Hogwarts and learned that he would return tonight. I was so sure that Aria would go rescue Harry and she did but she escaped so I had to step in and bring her to Grant. They can't hurt her. She's too important to his plans"

"You kept calling me pathetic and a coward but the biggest coward is you. I've done some bad things to Pansy but I would never do this to her. I would kick your ass myself but when she finds out what you did to her, I'm sure she'll want the opportunity"

Riven returned with Mr. Montague. The room was very tense. Ben avoided any eye contact, staring at his shoes. Draco was looking at Aria, who was still very injured. Mr. Montague questioned why Draco had come with them to deliver her. Riven assured him that Draco could be trusted since they were on the same side.

"He won't tell anyone, right?"

"I'm not leaving without her"

Riven chuckled. "That's adorable. What are you doing here, little Malfoy? You're nowhere near as intimidating as your father"

"Because Col—Aria is my friend. I screwed up last time something like this happened but not again. Just give her to me now and I won't report you to the aurors"

Ben grabbed him, pinning his arms behind his back. Draco wrestled against his grip. Mr. Montague glanced at Aria. For a brief second, anger flashed through his eyes.

"She's injured"

"That's not our fault. Ben said that happened in the graveyard. She probably got her ass handed to her, not that she doesn't deserve it. It's not my problem. You just said the brat had to be alive"

"Yes, she is alive. That's what matters"

"The charges are dropped?"

"Of course, Riven. There's no reason to worry. I don't suppose you'll see your grandparents"

Riven chuckled. "Oh, we'll head over there. Fair warning…there might be more death reports in tomorrow's paper. As long as they're around, Ben won't stand by my side. He'll warm up to the idea of working for the Dark Lord. We support his cause"

Ben stared at his brother, quietly. He did not seem to know about the part of the deal where he became a death eater for life. Riven insulted his grandparents, calling them weak and the reason that Ben was too soft. He claimed that without them, Ben would have snatched Aria much sooner and that he would ensure Draco's silence. Mr. Montague flicked his wand, healing Aria's injuries.

"When you see your grandfather, I want you to tell him something"

"Sure. What is it?"

Draco's eyes widened when Mr. Montague snapped his neck. From Ethan, he learned that it was not fatal. It would only keep them unconscious for at least an hour. Mr. Montague's appearance began to change. He grew slightly taller and more muscular. After a few seconds, he turned into Aria's father. Ben immediately let go of Draco and ran for the door. Mr. Collins created a whip with his wand, wrapping it around Ben and dragging him back into the living room. Ben struggled against the tight binds. He looked at Mr. Collins, shaking from head to toe.

"My daughter taught me how useful disguising charms can be in some situations. If you're wondering where Grant is, he was never showing up here. I set up the arrangement with your brother, pretending to be Grant. I spied on this house and saw him, my sister, and my oldest nephew apparate when they were summoned by Voldemort. I'm sure they're still out there, kissing up to their master like good little dogs"

"A—Aaron, I"

"It is Mr. Collins to you, Ben. When I ask you a question, you answer. Did my daughter ever tell you that she learned legilimency?"

"Y—yes"

"Hmm, I was the one who taught her mother and she taught it to Aria. I knew from the moment I met you, Ben. I knew that you were not who you claimed to be and what you had been planning"

"W—why didn't you"

"Tell Aria? I was going to when you left to chat with a friend but then she told me how much she cared about you. She told me how much you meant to her and I could see how deeply she had fallen for you. I sincerely hoped that you cared about her and would never put her in danger. I see that I misjudged you"

"No. I—I do care about her. I—there was nothing I could do, sir. I didn't have a choice"

"You always have a choice, Ben. When your brother first contacted you after so many years, you could've gone straight to your grandfather to tell him about this scheme. Instead, you took the easy way out and chose to help your brother who is beyond hope. He has been since the night your grandfather cast him out and gave him those scars"

Ben had been staring at the floor until Mr. Collins ordered him to look him in the eye. Mr. Collins told him that shifters have a oath of fealty to protect their family. Riven had been cast out of their family so he did not count as a member despite his blood ties. Ben was worried that his grandfather would learn about what he had done but to Draco's surprise, Mr. Collins swore to tell him nothing.

"You've sealed your fate, Ben. How will your grandparents feel when they learn that you are going to be the mere puppet of a man who slaughters people and cares for no one but himself?"

"M—Mr. Collins, please. I just...h—hide me. I don't want to be a death eater. I never knew that it was part of the deal. Riven just said the charges w—would be dropped and"

"I am not helping you, Ben. You caused this problem through your actions. You can run as far as the Arctic and Voldemort will find you. There is no escape from him once you're in his service. I want you out of my sight. I'll give you a free pass this one time. If we find ourselves on opposing sides again, I won't grant you the same leniency. As for my daughter, I would run before she finds you"

He picked up Aria, handing her to Draco. Giving him the portkey, he told Draco to let her rest in the common room. The portkey glowed and the last thing Draco saw before leaving the manor was Ben pleading with Mr. Collins. Draco landed outside the castle. Everyone was still at the quidditch pitch. He walked to his room and laid Aria down on his bed, unsure of what to tell her when she woke up…

* * *

**A/N: Sorry that the chapter is super long but I didn't want to cut this into two parts. I know that Ben grew into a really polarizing character as the story progressed but I didn't mind because the point was to find him a little suspicious, even from the start, and not every character is going to be well-liked. The main point of Ben was for Aria to experience that first love. A lot of reviews had commented on how Aria was being really naive about Ben and I held off on responding to it until this chapter. Before Ben, Aria had never really experienced feelings for a guy, except for a tiny crush on Cedric. Ben was the first guy to treat her different and make her feel like an actual girl. She was not used to those feelings so she fell for him very quickly. Also, he was someone that she trusted with her secrets, which was hard for her considering her past experiences. Aria would be naive to anything suspicious about Ben because she did not want to lose him. Even when she saw his jealous side, part of her just wanted to ignore it because she wanted to continue their relationship. Choice was a big subject that characters dealt with in this chapter. Ben had a choice to never help his brother and deceive Aria. Because of his choice, he is going to definitely lose Aria and will be a servant to Voldemort. Like Aria's father said, he chose the easy way in the situation. Comparatively, Draco had a choice to just report what he saw to a professor and let them handle it but instead, he actively went after Ben to help Aria. He knew that last time, he had just stood there while she was being tortured and now, he is choosing to help her because it is the right thing to do despite the fact that Riven or Ben could have hurt him. Those choices are the main difference between Draco and Ben. Ben claims that his feelings for Aria are real but even if that is true, he still planned to give her to Voldemort. On the other hand, Draco, who is just a friend at this point, was willing to save her, even though his own father is a death eater. In my opinion, Draco's actions show the strength of his friendship with Aria and just how devoted he would be to her when they become an actual couple. **


	38. No More Aaron

Aria woke up, feeling very lightheaded. Her stomach was still searing with pain and she noticed blood stains on her shirt. Everything seemed to be one big blur. The last thing she remembered was escaping the graveyard and telling Ben that she needed to see Dumbledore. She realized that she was not outside by the quidditch pitch. Somehow, she had ended up in her room, laying on Draco's bed. She stared at a pink teddy bear sitting in front of her. It was holding a heart with the words and had a bow around one of its ears. As she picked it up, it said _I Wuv You._ She threw it onto the floor, disgusted. The bear's eyes stared up at her. She put the blanket over it, not wanting nightmares about evil talking teddy bears. The door opened and Draco entered the room. He looked relieved to see her awake.

"That didn't take long. I though you'd be out for hours. No one saw me bring you here. They're all still down at the field"

"Why the hell do you sleep with a teddy bear?"

"What are you"

Glancing down at the blanket, he lifted it up and grabbed the teddy bear. He chucked one of Blaise's pillows at her.

"This isn't mine. It's Pansy's. I got it for her two years ago for our first Valentine's Day. She calls it Mr. Snuggles. She sleeps with it every night"

"That's not weird at all. Why would I want your girlfriend's nighttime pal?"

"Do you remember anything?"

"I was with Ben…after that, nothing"

"Yea, you need to hold onto this. You can tear its head off. I'll fix it with magic later"

Aria looked at him, strangely. Draco sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed a few pillows. He placed the pillows in front of him like a shield. It was as if he expected her to go on a rampage. Draco began to explain what had happened after she found Ben. He had seen Ben knock her out with a spell and then take a portkey out of his pocket. The portkey led to her aunt's manor where Riven was waiting for him and Aria. She squeezed the bear's neck, hearing that Riven was Ben's older brother. Ben had been working with him the entire time. Their plan was to use Aria as leverage to get charges dropped against Riven and clear his criminal record. Both were aware of the death eater disguised at Hogwarts, who told Riven about Voldemort's resurrection scheme tonight. Ben also knew that Aria would go save Harry and basically waited for her to return from the graveyard. Her father had disguised himself as Grant, expecting them to arrive at the manor.

After snapping Riven's neck, he shamed Ben for his actions. He admitted that he knew of their scheme since he first met Ben but kept it to himself, hoping that Ben really did care for Aria and would not hand her over to death eaters. Draco was unsure of where Ben was at the moment. The head popped off of the teddy bear, rolling onto the floor.

"I know this is a lot to take in…but the point is that you're not there. Focus on the positive. Your father is—Collins, where are you going?"

Aria was opening the door. Her mind was focused on one thing, finding Ben. Draco followed her out of the dungeons, telling her to return to their room. She walked down along an empty corridor on the ground floor. Dumbledore had set up rooms for the Beauxbatons students. There was a common room, similar to the ones for each Hogwarts houses, and dormitories for guys and girls. She stopped in front of a portrait of a woman sitting in the countryside. Once she gave the correct password, the portrait swung open, revealing a small passageway. Draco grabbed her arm.

"Don't do this now. You're really angry"

"Angry is an understatement. I'm talking to him alone"

"You don't even know that he's in there"

"Then I'll wait for him"

"Collins, you shouldn't be alone with him. Riven could be there too"

"Good. I hope he is…then I can neuter them both with my bare hands. You want to be my friend right now? Then stay outside and make sure no one else comes in here until I leave"

She walked through the passageway. The common room was very similar to the Slytherin one, ornate and filled with expensive objects. A floor-length mirror, nearly twelve feet high, had been placed near one of the walls. Ben once told her that it was mainly for Maxime, who needed it to see all of her tall frame. Bags had been strewn around the room, hastily packed. Another suitcase levitated out of the guys' dormitory. Ben left the dormitory, stuffing clothes into a bag. She did not even need to say a word before he caught her scent. He turned around, his face ghostly pale and his eyes looking everywhere but at her.

"Going somewhere?"

"A—Aria"

"I know I'm new to the whole couple thing but couples like to share with each other, right? Do you want to hear about my night? Well, I was almost captured by death eaters and Voldemort himself hit me with a hex. A story to tell my kids, huh? Then, I barely escaped and ran into my loving boyfriend. I kept telling him how I needed to see Dumbledore and instead…wait until you hear this plot twist…he brought me to my aunt's house to trade me like some cow"

"I can explain"

She crossed her arms. "Go ahead. I'm in the mood to hear some bullshit"

"Can you sit on the couch with me?"

"You don't want that, Ben. If I get too close to you, I might tear off your limbs"

Ben confessed to her that Riven was his older brother. Riven had always been a troublemaker, even as a child. While their parents enabled the behavior, rarely punishing him, things changed when they moved in with their grandparents. Their grandfather was tough on discipline, wanting them to be respectable members of wizarding society. Riven continued to act out at Hogwarts and did not care about living up to the family name. After his expulsion from Hogwarts, it was the final straw, leading to an argument between their grandfather and Riven. The argument escalated to a physical duel. Ben tried to stop them but it was pointless. Their grandfather, being a very skilled duelist, easily overpowered Riven and even scratched him across the face. The scars were supposed to be a reminder to all shifters that Riven had been cast out of the family for not living up to their code. Ben's grandparents refused to let him have any contact with Riven, who had left their home to live with some older friends that already graduated from Hogwarts.

To protect Ben, his grandmother homeschooled him, teaching him magic. He eventually convinced her to let him attend Beauxbatons when he turned twelve. She signed him up, putting her maiden name as his last name, so that Ben would not be associated with Riven, who was gaining a vast criminal record in just three years. A few weeks after Riven had his fight with Aria at Hogwarts, he found Ben at Beauxbatons. Riven told him that Aria was still alive, disguised among the students, and if they delivered her to Grant and Mr. Malfoy, Riven would be given a clean slate. He assured Ben that he wanted a second chance, something that he could never get from their grandparents or anyone else in their family. The original plan was to find Aria when Maxime brought the Beauxbatons students to Hogwarts for the tournament. Ben explained that he did not expect to meet her at the World Cup and that he purposely made Draco forget about meeting Riven because they looked very similar in appearance. He insisted that he had no involvement with her uncle snatching her in Hogsmeade. Riven was getting impatient with Ben taking his time and set up the capture with Grant. Her fists clenched when she learned that the necklace Ben gave her on Christmas was enchanted to drain her magic. He wanted to test it for a short time to ensure that the curse worked properly so it would be easier to take her out of Hogwarts.

"I swear to you that the first night we met wasn't a lie. I wasn't sure that it was you until I saw your necklace with the Collins crest"

"You played me. I meant nothing to you. I should've expected it. Trying so hard to be my friend, the incessant flirting, the compliments…why else would you be so nice to me? It was all pretend. I have to commend you, Ben. Not many people can fool me…I can count the amount of people who have on one hand"

"You mean everything to me"

"This whole time, you were going to hand me over to death eaters…to Voldemort. I told you how much I had done to stay away from them, how much I struggled to survive because I couldn't trust my aunt or anyone left in my family. You were willing to put me through hell for some criminal"

"He's my brother. You'd do the same for your father"

"Actually, no. If he was like your brother, I wouldn't because some people are beyond hope. From what I've learned about your brother, he's had plenty of chances to redeem himself. How many chances does he get before you see that he's not worth it?"

"He's not that bad. He's—my grandfather made him worse. You don't know what he was like with him. Riven tried so hard but it was never good enough in our family"

"He's seriously brainwashed you, Ben. He's the problem, not your grandparents. Did you ever think that Riven was just using you? What guarantee was there that once he had those charges dropped, he would be a good person?"

Aria fought back the tears in her eyes. It felt like her heart was literally being ripped to shreds. Ben struggled to justify his actions by telling her that he had no choice. When he began having real feelings for her, he wanted out of the plan but Riven threatened him. She did not feel the least bit of sympathy, seeing him as a coward. Refusing to pity him, she argued that he could have gone to his grandparents or even the Ministry for assistance.

"We can get through this, Aria. I know I messed you up but"

"Messed up? No, forgetting your girlfriend's birthday is messing up. Bringing her to dark wizards to possibly be killed is a freakin nuclear explosion"

"They would never kill you. You're too important to you know who"

"Is that supposed to make it okay? Because let me honest with you, Ben. If my father hadn't been there to protect me and I was brought to him, I'd kill myself before I ever let him lay a hand on me. I would rather be dead than help him. The fact that you think I still want to be with you makes you the dumbest person I've ever met"

"I lied to you but what we have isn't a lie"

"We have nothing!"

"Aria, please. I love you"

"Don't. You don't get to use that word. You have no idea what it means. You're too much of a coward to admit that your brother doesn't deserve all these chances. Ben, you did have a choice. You could've told Riven that he was wrong about me being alive…say that he was being desperate. You had a million chances to get out of the situation. If you loved me, you never would've brought me there tonight. You lose me and you get to serve a lunatic murderer. Congratulations" she said, ripping off his necklace from her neck and chucking it at his feet.

Ben continued to beg for her forgiveness. Anger rose inside her with each word. She had never felt so much fury in her life. Her body was literally shaking with rage. He told her that his feelings for her were completely real and that he would never stop loving her.

"I know you still love me"

"You don't know shit about me!"

The mirror behind him emitted a golden glow. There were ripples in the glass. Ben was knocked back a few inches by an invisible force.

"You really think I'm an idiot, don't you? You think you can make a little apology and everything will go back to normal. Let me tell you something. You can make a million apologies but I will never forgive you! I would be ripping you apart right now but death would be too kind! You deserve everything that happens to you!"

He got pushed again. "A—Aria. Y—you're really a—angry. Just calm down"

"I'm not calming down!"

Her eyes widened as he was thrown back into the mirror, sinking through the glass. She had unconsciously made the mirror into a portal. He was gripping onto the edge of the mirror.

"Aria, don't do this. Help me"

"Maybe I'm wrong about your brother and he'll come find you but I doubt it"

"Aria"

"I WANT YOU GONE!"

The power of her wandless magic was so strong that Ben disappeared in the mirror and the common room had been destroyed, looking like a tornado passed through it. Ben's wand was in front of the mirror. She snapped the wand in half and threw it out the window. As she left the common room, she saw Draco standing in front of the portrait.

"What happened in there?"

"We talked and now he's gone"

"Gone? Did he apparate?"

"Would it kill you to open a book for once? You can't apparate on Hogwarts grounds"

"Then how is he"

"He's gone. Stop asking questions"

"Yea well change back into Aaron. Most people are still at the field but I saw Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape hurrying up to Moody's office then Dumbledore was bringing Potter to the hospital wing"

"Give me a minute. I"

Aria stopped, thinking about what she witnessed in the graveyard. She touched her stomach. Though her father healed her wound, she could not forget how Voldemort hurt her with one curse.

"I'm going to see Dumbledore"

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?! Collins, get back here!" he said as she hurried up the staircase.

Draco attempted to bring her back to the common room. He told her not to do anything foolish. She ignored him, heading towards the hospital wing. He pulled her back by her waist.

"Collins, you're being stupid"

"No, I'm not. Let go of me. I don't need a babysitter"

"Even if you tell Dumbledore, he'll think you're insane. How the hell are you going to explain that you faked your death?"

"I'll handle it. Get off"

"Aria, you're not thinking!"

Aria could hear voices in the hospital wing. She tugged on the door handle, which was difficult with Draco lifting her off of the floor. Kicking her legs, she made contact with his chest, causing both of them to fall through the door. She looked up to see Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Ron, Hermione, Harry, McGonagall, Snape, Dumbledore, and Fudge staring at them. Sirius, in his animagus form, was next to Harry's bed and looked at her in alarm. He barked loudly as a way to tell her to get out of the hospital wing.

"Mister Malfoy, what are you doing in here?" asked McGonagall.

"Isn't that the girl who went with Ben to the Yule Ball?" she heard Hermione whisper to Ron.

Draco lied that Aria was his cousin who arrived at a castle for a random visit. He tried to get her out of the room.

"She's not the brightest. We'll just leave"

"Get off me" she hissed.

"Ar"

"Go"

"But"

Frustrated with him, she elbowed him in the face. He held his nose, muttering a stream of curses. She shut the door and walked over to Dumbledore and Fudge.

"My dear, I do not know who you are but you are interrupting important business" said Fudge.

"I'm Aria Collins"

"That is no laughing matter. Who put you up to this nonsense?"

Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly. "Cornelius, I do not think this is a joke"

"Aria Collins died last year, Dumbledore. It's clear that Rita Skeeter wants to come up with another popular topic for her column"

"I faked my death. I was with Harry in that graveyard"

Harry looked at her, confused. "No, you weren't. I've never met you. Professor, I told you that it was just me and Aaron there"

Within a few seconds, Dumbledore realized that Aria had been disguised as Aaron at Hogwarts. She told him the truth about everything from the night of her mother's death to the incident in the graveyard. Fudge did not seem to believe one word. She showed him her necklace with the Collins crest as proof. Instead of sympathizing with her situation, he became enraged. He was angered that he had put the wizarding community through years of grief over her supposed disappearance and death. Dumbledore questioned why she revealed the truth tonight.

"Like I said, I was there with Harry and I saw Voldemort return. I think you know exactly why I'm coming to you"

"Ridiculous. Putting your aunt and the rest of your family through a funeral..."

She glared at Fudge. "Because they're death eaters. If your stupid aurors did their job right, they would know that my mother never committed suicide and that my aunt and uncle are manipulative snakes"

Dumbledore put his hand on her shoulder. Fudge was refusing to accept that Voldemort was alive. Rita Skeeter's article made him wary of Harry's mental state. Dumbledore had full confidence in Harry and Aria, who told the same exact story as Crouch's son, Barty Crouch jr. Crouch's son had been the one impersonating Moody all year and cast the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup. Harry was getting as annoyed as Aria, seeing Fudge as a stubborn fool. When Harry told him who he saw at the graveyard, Fudge countered that he could have found the names in an old newspaper.

"So you're completely ignoring what I said about my aunt and uncle?"

"My dear, Elyse and Graham Montague are very respected officials in the Ministry. I am sure that your father's own hatred for them has passed down to you. I'm sorry that there is no evidence to support your claims"

"My memories say different. Open up my head and you'll see how they were the ones who kidnapped me a few months ago"

Sirius nipped at the back of her leg to keep her quiet. She resorted to imagining Fudge getting eaten by a dragon. Fudge claimed that they were merely starting a panic to destroy all of the peace he had built over the past thirteen years. She always thought Fudge was a bit dim but now he was reaching Crabbe and Goyle levels of stupidity. Dumbledore insisted that Fudge accept the truth and take necessary precautions like removing the dementors from Azkaban, who would ally with Voldemort at any moment, and befriend the giants. Fudge refused, only concerned with keeping himself as Minister.

"If your determination to shut your eyes will carry you as far as this, Cornelius, then we have reached a parting of the ways. You must act as you see fit and I shall act as I see fit"

"Now see here, Dumbledore, I've given you free rein. I've had a lot of respect for you. I might not have agreed with some of your decisions but I've kept quiet. Not many would have let you hire werewolves, keep Hagrid, or teach your students without reference to the Ministry…but if you're working against me"

"The only one against whom I intend to work is Lord Voldemort. If you are against him, we remain on the same side"

Quietly, Fudge spun his bowler hat in his hands. Aria waited for him to accept the situation. She was surprised when Snape showed him the Dark Mark on his wrist as proof. Instead of convincing Fudge, it simply made him more skeptical. After handing Harry his thousand galleon prize, he left the hospital wing. Dumbledore spoke to Mrs. Weasley, McGonagall, and Madam Pomfrey. Mrs. Weasley assured Dumbledore could count on her and her husband, both knowing that Mr. Weasley's fondness for muggles hindered him because Fudge thought he lacked proper wizarding pride. Bill left to go see Mr. Weasley at the Ministry so they could persuade people of the truth immediately. McGonagall was sent to find Hagrid and Madame Maxime and Madam Pomfrey was asked to bring Winky back to the kitchens from Moody's office.

"And now it is time for two of our number to recognize each other for what they are. Sirius…if you could resume your usual form"

Mrs. Weasley screamed when Sirius returned to his usual self. Snape snarled at the sight of him. Dumbledore told both of them to set aside their differences and trust each other. Glaring, they shook hands for a quick second. The door opened and Aria's father entered the room.

"Aaron, what are you doing here?" asked Sirius, surprised.

"Draco contacted me through Severus's floo network. He said that Aria was going to do something stupid"

Mrs. Weasley glared, grabbing her father by the ear. Aria stifled a laugh.

"Ow! Molly, let go. You can't do this to me. I'm not a little kid anymore"

"You knew that she was alive this entire time and you said nothing? Arthur and I visited you all those times"

Her other hand grabbed Aria's ear. "Ow!"

"And you, young lady. Surely your mother told you that we were friends. When you met us, you could have been honest. What possessed you to pose as a boy instead of telling someone like Professor Dumbledore the truth?"

"I'm still confused about this. So Aaron isn't real?" asked Ron.

"Aria was Aaron. It's very simple, Ron" explained Hermione.

Ron covered his chest with his hands. "But then—we've—you've seen us half-naked" he squeaked.

Aria rolled her eyes. "You've got nothing to brag about, trust me. Mrs. Weasley, I'm losing all feeling in my left ear. You should be more mad at my dad. He's the adult"

With a frustrated sigh, she let go of Aria and her father. She continued to shoot them disapproving looks. Dumbledore was pleased that her father had come to the castle, having a special task for him. Sirius was asked to alert members of the 'old crowd', including Lupin. He told Harry that he would see him soon. Giving Aria a quick hug, he left the hospital wing. Snape's task was very vague and something he dreaded, considering his face turning paler than usual. Dumbledore led Aria and her father to his office.

"We must take immediate precautions, Aaron. You remember what we had discussed shortly after your release from Azkaban?"

"Yes. As soon as Riven told me about Voldemort's return, I prepared for it. I put the necessary enchantments in place. Even he won't be able to find it. He could be looking right at it and not even know that we're there"

"Why are you being all cryptic? What's happening?" she asked, confused.

"Aria, I am afraid that this will be your last day at Hogwarts for the term. Hogwarts is the safest place for you but seeing as you are in Slytherin and many of your housemates have parents in Voldemort's inner circle, I cannot risk that one of them has orders to snatch you. Voldemort will waste no time in obtaining you" said Dumbledore.

Aria was uncertain of where they would go into hiding. After a quick discussion between her father and Dumbledore, her father led her out of the office. He hugged her, apologizing for what happened with Ben. She could not bring herself to tell him the truth about his disappearance. Flicking his wand, he conjured her bag and Speedy's cage. Her bag was filled with her belongings.

"Where are we going?"

"Two places. First, we're stopping at the Ministry. We are going to the auror office and you are telling them everything…from the night of your eighth birthday to you being harmed in Elyse's home"

"Are you serious? It won't do anything. I told Fudge and he was mad at me for putting my so-called loving family through grief"

"I won't lie to you. Without Fudge seeing it for himself, they won't be thrown in Azkaban. Your memories wouldn't be enough…even for your mother's death. The point is that we ruin Voldemort's initial plan. He's plotting around the fact that no one knows the truth about you. Once everyone does, getting you won't be that easy. Even my sister won't risk it"

Aria followed her father down to Hogsmeade. He was keeping his arm around her protectively, watching every person they passed with suspicion. When they reached the end of the main path, he apparated with her to the Ministry. He brought her to the office of Rufus Scrimgeur, the head auror. Scrimgeour reminded her of an old lion with his long tawny hair and bushy eyebrows. He greeted her father with a firm handshake. When he noticed Aria beside him, he stared at her, mouth agape.

"Goodness, Aaron, she looks just like—is this"

Her father nodded. "Aria's alive, Rufus"

"It's impossible. I was at her funeral"

"Well, she has her father's smarts. She has quite the story to tell. It's imperative that what she tells you makes the morning edition of the _Daily Prophet_"

Scrimgeour had her sit in front of his desk while he contacted someone from the the _Daily Prophet_ through the floo network. Within a minute, the flames in his fireplace turned bright green. A girl in her early 20s emerged, holding a paper pad and quill.

"This is Betty Braithwaite. She is one of the top reporters for the _Daily Prophet_"

"Mr. Scrimgeour, I'm afraid I can't put this new article in the morning edition. It's about to be printed in a minute"

"I think you can halt that for this big story, dear. How would you like an exclusive interview with Aria Collins to be on your front page?"

"But sir, Aria Collins is dead. I wrote that story last year about her funeral"

"Actually, she's sitting right here" said her father.

Betty looked over at Aria, surprised. She sent a note through the fireplace and conjured a chair, sitting next to her. Aria was reluctant to say anything in front of a reporter. She had seen the damage Rita Skeeter caused by twisting a few words. Her father gave her an encouraging nod. For the next hour, Aria told the truth. Scrimgeour and Betty wrote down all of it, listening intently. After checking her notes, Betty left the office using floo powder.

"You are sure you wanted this printed, Aaron? There's likely no chance of any of them being brought to justice? You know how tightly they have Fudge wrapped around their finger?"

"Yes, Rufus. I can live with my sister never seeing a jail cell. The important thing is that the truth is out there. Whether people believe it or not is up to them"

Once they returned to the Atrium, her father apparated with her again. They landed in a neighborhood where all of the houses looked exactly the same, including similar décor and landscape. Her father conjured a set of keys. He led her over to one of the houses. Boxes were stacked in the driveway beside an expensive car.

"We're living here?"

"Yes. Dumbledore has a very special task for me and you're going to help. We're watching over someone special"

"I thought we moved here to protect me"

"We're here for that too. The house has the strongest protection charms ever created. Muggles see nothing wrong with the house but to wizards, it looks it's been abandoned…unless you tell the wizard the truth"

"Couldn't a wizard just walk into the supposedly abandoned house?"

"Not without an invitation from one of the owners. It's very important that you only invite wizards that you trust completely. Don't let the outside fool you. It's much bigger on the inside and we'll make it our own. I kept our old house intact. We won't be here forever, Aria. Help me carry these boxes and remember, no magic. We have to act like muggles"

He picked up three large boxes, entering the house. As she reached for a box filled with picture frames, she felt eyes on her. A guy her age was putting his bike in the bushes of the house next door. He had a similar build to Crabbe and Goyle, very muscular but overweight. His eyes traveled up and down her body, looking at her like a slice of cake. She scrunched her nose in disgust when he smiled at her. Before he could come near her, she hurried into the house.

"What's wrong?" asked her father.

"We have a horny teenage neighbor"

He chuckled and entered the kitchen. She peeked out the window, checking for any sign of that guy. Once she was sure that it was safe, she went outside to get more boxes, doubting that it would be easy to adjust to her new home at _5 Privet Drive_…

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading. This was the last chapter for Aria's fourth year so the next chapter will start the arc for her fifth year. Things are going to be very different for Aria in fifth year now that the truth about her existence will be revealed to the wizarding world, meaning that she will attend Hogwarts as herself instead of Aaron. Though some people will accept it, others will not be as pleased to see Aria at Hogwarts. At the same time, she has to be careful about Voldemort. As for Ben, there is always a chance that he could return because Aria herself does not know where that portal sent him. Fifth year is going to see the feelings between Aria and Draco develop more. One thing to note is that Pansy is still in the picture because she and Draco are dating. Now that Aria is going to Hogwarts as herself, Pansy will become more possessive of him. I don't plan on him cheating on Pansy with Aria because that contract between their fathers is still in place and Aria is definitely not the type of girl that would be okay with being ****_"the other woman"_****. Other people might notice the attraction between them before either of them is willing to admit it themselves. **


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